A Cracked Ruby
by AaronCottrell97
Summary: For the longest time it was thought James never had any romantic interests at all. But upon probing, James reveals to Thomas and Emily the secret of his hidden relationship with Molly in the past and how it came to a tragic end. Will James be able to restore his love with Molly, or will he continue to live with a broken heart?
1. James Was in Love?

One evening, Thomas and Emily were enjoying a lovely evening together and were just coming back to the yards. Only a few days ago, Thomas had remembered the times he met Daisy and Mavis and became inspired to wait for a female steamie to come for him.

But as they approached the yards, they saw James idling all by himself. He didn't look too happy. Thomas and Emily came closer, but he didn't seem to take notice.

Then they saw a familiar face that they had not seen for a great while. Molly came through the yards, wearing a neutral expression. She wasn't happy, sad or upset. She just looked normal and straightforward. She looked over to James and Thomas watched. Molly's eyebrow raised slightly, but then he saw her frown and huff annoyingly at James and she steamed noisily away. When Thomas looked at James, he saw him look very sad all of a sudden. Thomas wanted to just leave him and let him idle with his pouty ways and nothing else, but suddenly he and Emily felt very sorry for James. He seemed exceptionally sad.

"James? Are you alright? What's dampening your spirits?" asked Thomas. James said nothing and tried looking away.

"Come one, no secrets. Don't spend the evening feeling like this," said Thomas.

"There's no point in feeling good tonight, not when you have no one else to keep you company but yourself," grunted James.

"Please, James. We know you have struggles, but you shouldn't let them beat you down," said Thomas.

"James…I saw Molly pass by you with a certain look," said Emily. "Was it something she, or you said?"

"No! Now leave me be!" huffed James.

"James, don't hurt yourself like this. If you have a problem, please tell us about it, and no hiding," said Emily. "And is Molly any part of this?"

James almost answered no, but Thomas cut in. "We saw Molly look at you, James. What is wrong?"

"What did you do, James, and what part does Molly have in this?" asked Emily.

James wanted to refuse this question, but looking at the serious and to-the-point expressions the two engines had, he could see there was no way out of this. His friends would have found out sooner or later anyway. He had to reveal his secrets, so he took a deep breath and spoke up.

"I confess… While you two were building your relationship all those years ago…I was doing exactly the same thing," he said sadly.

"You…you had a relationship too?" asked Emily.

"Yes…with Molly," said James.

Thomas and Emily held their breath for a moment. They had not heard anything about this, or expected anything like it.

"You loved Molly?" asked Thomas.

"It is very true," said James. "Years ago, I did love her, just like you two love each other. When no one else knew, I was a very happy engine with her in my life…but after what Gordon and I did to you, Emily…I lost her forever. The main reason I've been so vain for quite a while is because I lost her…my light in the dark."

Thomas and Emily were most surprised. They never did think that James of all engines would have had a relationship. With his vain behaviour and self-centered manners all because of his red paint, they didn't think that he would have any chance of having a significant other. Emily knew James didn't have many friends with the behaviour he demonstrated and felt like he should be blamed or be told "Serves you right," or "I told you so," after losing Molly…but as she thought a little more, she put herself in James' boiler and could feel sheer loneliness and misery in him. Maybe he behaved so vainly over the years because he used to be full of love, then it was taken from him in a tragic, discomforting way. He needed help and he was going to get it.

Emily spoke up again. "Oh, James," she said with pity. "I'm so sorry to hear all this. You must have been so lonely for quite a long time…But we're going to help you."

"How?" asked James.

"Please tell us about your relationship with Molly. If we can learn everything that happened between you and her, we'll get a clear image and hopefully, we can bring you and her back together somehow. Be brave, James…like I was when I told Thomas why I changed my ways."

James felt quite nervous when he heard this. He turned quite red in the face with shyness, but as he looked at the engine couple, he could see their kind expressions and desire to help him. Although he had rough dealings with these two engines, as well as the rest of the Steam Team in the past, if he had any chance of expressing his feelings and possibly seeing Molly again, he would take it.

"Very well," he said at last. "I shall tell you all about Molly and me, and our lives together." So James began…

* * *

*sigh*...so yeah, it's been a while hasn't it? Well the reason behind that is we had a lot of other stuff to do, hence the nearly a month gap between my last story. For those who were expecting the first chapter to be longer, I'm sorry, it was originally going to be much longer but I decided to make this first part a prologue/cold opening instead, just to give you guys something because I really didn't want to go a whole month without posting anything. As for the next chapter, where the story really begins, hopefully you will see it next week at the latest. So please tell us what you thought of this prologue in your reviews and I'll see you guys next chapter.


	2. Dial M for Molly

It was a blustery day on the Island of Sodor, and James was just working on the main line and was stopping at a small station when he overheard the stationmaster say something that caught his attention.

"I hear there is a new engine that just came to Sodor this morning," said a porter on the platform.

"This new engine is at Knapford Station. The Fat Controller should be there to help her get a head start," said the stationmaster.

 _"Her?"_ thought James. _"Who could this be?"_ James decided to go to Knapford Station and find out for himself.

When he arrived, what he saw was very interesting. He slowed down and stopped right beside the new engine.

"Who is this?" he whispered. Just then, the Fat Controller came along the platform.

"James, this is Molly," he said. James took a good look at her. Molly was bright yellow. She had great big wheels and a shiny funnel. She looked very smart. James suddenly felt something very different inside him. He didn't know what it was, but it felt very powerful and jittery…

"Hello…M-Molly," James said slowly.

"Hello, James," Molly replied kindly. James listened to the way she spoke. She sounded very delicate and cheerful. He usually didn't like that personality coming from Thomas or Percy, but this was different. She was a bright and smart lady.

"What can I do to start my life here on Sodor, sir?" Molly asked the Fat Controller.

"I'm happy you asked, Molly. I think it would be a good head start for you to gather some empty trucks to take to the Coaling Plant. New engines have to start somewhere," he said.

"Yes, sir," promised Molly. Then she went on her way to collect the trucks. She was enjoying herself quite well as she huffed along the line. Then she came to a junction where Emily was waiting for her signal to be green. Percy then came by past Molly.

"Hello, Emily," he whistled as he passed by. Molly heard Percy and looked at the emerald engine, thinking about greeting her.

"Hello, Emily," called Molly. Emily looked at Molly with a curious expression.

"What are you doing…Molly?" she asked.

"I'm going to gather empty trucks. Why?" asked Molly.

Emily said nothing at first. Then she started to laugh. "Empty trucks? Empty trucks! As a first train?"

"Your controller is just giving me a head start," said Molly. "And they're needed at the Coaling Plant."

"Oh, Molly, you really are silly," laughed Emily. "Pulling 'empties,' isn't really useful at all! Nothing gets delivered! That's why I'm really useful, actually making deliveries to put to good use!" And Emily steamed away, still laughing hard. Molly was deeply hurt. Emily just seemed so nice and all she did was laugh at Molly, upon first meeting her! Molly went sadly on her way to the yards, feeling worthless now.

Meanwhile Emily stopped at a station and suddenly felt very stupid and ashamed.

"Emily, how dare you!" she whispered to herself. "What did you just do?! Laugh at a new engine?" Emily really wanted to greet Molly kindly and make friends, but no thanks to Gordon and James hurting her so much, her desperation was pulling at her fragile heart. "Someone please help me!" she begged to herself.

In the yards, Molly was still feeling terrible over being laughed at. What Emily said made her think the only way she could be really useful was to take a load of some sort, and actually make a delivery. She felt like her first day on Sodor couldn't be worse and she continued to mope to herself until she heard another whistle. Thomas had come by to meet her after he had heard the news of her arrival. When he saw her, he was impressed. While not as beautiful as Emily, Thomas still thought Molly looked lovely. There were almost no yellow engines on Sodor except Bill and Ben, and even they weren't pure yellow. Molly was a perfectly bright yellow.

"Hello!" Thomas puffed cheerfully.

"Hello," Molly chuffed back sadly.

"What's the matter?" asked Thomas.

"Emily laughed at me because I have to take empty trucks to the Coaling Plant," Molly huffed sadly. "I want to take full trucks like a really useful engine. It was the Fat Controller's orders. I wasn't just being useless!" This made Thomas feel sad. He felt bad for Molly, but also bad for Emily. He knew somewhere deep within that she wouldn't laugh at anyone intentionally, but he wanted to help Molly first.

 _"How can I help Molly feel important?"_ he thought to himself. Then he saw some tarpaulin flapping in the wind. This gave Thomas an idea…Molly reversed the empty trucks into a siding. Thomas asked Molly's driver to cover her trucks with the tarpaulin.

"With your trucks covered up, no one will know they are empty," said Thomas. "I don't have time to fill them with anything, but this should work. We can make everyone think you are carrying a special delivery."

"Then I will feel important!" Molly chuffed cheerfully.

"Wait here, Molly," said Thomas. "I'll go tell everyone about you so they'll know you're really useful." And he steamed off to find his friends. But after Thomas left, Molly felt sad again. She was a very delicate engine who was quite sensitive and it wasn't easy to get over the fact that she was laughed at upon her first day on Sodor, even before her first train…

Later when Thomas saw Emily at the station, he told her all about Molly's special. Emily felt better seeing Thomas and hearing that Molly was having a special made her want to see Molly and apologize.

"What is it?" asked Emily.

"Not telling," puffed Thomas. "But it's the most special 'special,' of all."

Thomas spent most of the day telling other engines about Molly's special, talking to anyone he could find along the line. Soon all the engines were talking about Molly's special. Edward and Percy talked a lot about it at Knapford Station. They were exited, expect Gordon.

"It won't be as important as my express!" Gordon huffed.

"Molly's special is much more important than the express!" Thomas huffed. "And you'll see it tonight at Abbey Station!" But then Thomas was worried.

 _"How can I make Molly's trucks look even more special than Gordon's express?"_ he wondered.

Meanwhile, back in the yards, Molly was still moping by herself until she heard a whistle. James came by and could see Molly's expression. Molly felt better seeing James, but couldn't smile.

"Hello again, Molly," said James. "I wanted to see how you're doing." But Molly didn't reply.

"Hey, Molly. What's wrong?" James asked with care. "You seemed much more cheerful earlier."

"Oh, James, I was feeling lovely, but…it's…it's Emily," said Molly.

"What happened?" asked James.

"She…she laughed at me for pulling 'empties.' It was my first train! All engines pull empty trucks sometimes," said Molly.

"Oh…well, don't listen to her, Molly," said James.

"She just seemed so nice. She looked very friendly to me," moped Molly.

"I should have told you earlier, Molly," said James. "Emily is not good news."

"She isn't?"

"Well, you can always trust me, Molly," continued James. "I know Emily quite well, and it's no surprise she laughed at you. She may seem kind and meaningful on the outside, but inside, she's a devious schemer. And she has been for quite a while. When she first came round, she was truly nice and friendly, but now, she's very fussy, bossing Thomas to get his snowplough fitted in a rather fussy manner."

"I see," said Molly.

"She was too rough with some flour trucks and crashed them into a pond! One time after a storm hit, she kept bossing everyone around to clear her line, making everyone around her cross. And when Gordon had to take the Mayor around Sodor, Emily had to take the express, and, oh, did she ruin it! She left the brake coach behind, ditched Bertie at the station and rejected my telling her to wait her turn for water, causing her to ultimately fail."

"Oh, such a shame," said Molly. "That certainly doesn't make her a good engine by the sounds of it."

"Oh, she's quite bad, Molly. She even rejected Thomas having to sleep with her while our sheds were being rebuilt. He just wanted to tell her progress and ideas to finish the airport, but she just told him to be quiet. She eventually moved in with us, seemingly missing Thomas, but I know she's just trying to trick us all. Never trust her, Molly."

"Ohh…" said Molly as she comprehended everything James just said. "I won't, James. Thank you for letting me know."

Molly was apparently a little gullible and she had no idea that alongside Gordon, the very engine who was being so friendly to her was actually tearing Emily apart. But this didn't concern James. If anything, he felt proud that she fell for this bluff.

"Now," said James, changing the subject. "What are you going to do with those empty trucks?"

"Thomas is helping me feel important, James," said Molly. "He's covered my trucks with tarpaulin to make them look full of something special. Truly, there's nothing in those trucks, but there's no time to load them up anyway. It seems a little desperate, but if all goes well, this plan should work."

James felt a little envy. "I could have done that. Is there anything I can do? Gather decorations, accompany you?"

"Thank you, James," said Molly. "I appreciate your generosity toward me, but all I really need from you is your friendly approach and gentlemanlike behaviour."

This impressed James. No one had ever told him he was like a gentleman. "I think you're quite special already. Remember that, Molly," he said.

"He-he…thank you, James," smiled Molly.

"I'd really like to see Sodor adore you, Molly. Now I have to go to the Coaling Plant to be ready for your important trucks, but I'll keep you company afterwards. Good luck," said James as he set off for the Coaling Plant where Henry and Edward were waiting.

Later that evening, Thomas stopped at a small station and saw a stationmaster lighting lanterns. This gave him another idea.

"Can I borrow some of your lanterns?" Thomas asked the stationmaster.

"Of course," he replied.

Soon, Thomas' trucks were loaded with lanterns and he puffed away to find Molly. When she saw the lanterns, she felt better again.

"Thank you, Thomas! I'll look lovely now!" she whistled.

Soon, Molly's trucks were decorated with the beautiful lanterns. She was taking the trucks to the Coaling Plant for a very important job.

"Your trucks look very special now," puffed Thomas. "You must go through Abbey Station. Lots of engines will be there to see you."

The lanterns on Molly's trucks twinkled like stars in the night. When Thomas and Molly arrived at Abbey Station, Emily, Percy and Gordon were waiting. Emily wanted to apologize to Molly, but first, she took a look at the lanterns on her trucks. Percy gasped.

"She looks magnificent!" exclaimed Emily.

And for the first time since she'd been on Sodor, Molly felt special. But not for long. A strong gust of wind blew one of the tarpaulins in the air.

"Oh no!" gasped Thomas. Now everyone could see there was nothing inside.

"THOSE trucks are empty!" Gordon huffed. "I KNEW it couldn't be as important as the express!"

"So there is no special 'special'?" Percy puffed sadly.

Molly felt silly and not very important at all. So she puffed away as fast as she could. Thomas felt very bad, and all of a sudden, very angry, but not at Emily. He was much angrier at Gordon as he heard him laughing loudly at what he saw.

Emily wanted to know what was going on. "Thomas? What on…" she began.

"Alright, you mischievous lot! I'll explain everything. Molly was told by the Fat Controller to gather empty trucks to take to the Coaling Plant. Unfortunately, poor Molly was laughed at for pulling 'empties,' as soon as she first came to Sodor! EMPTY TRUCKS!" he shouted. Emily felt her boiler freeze up at those words.

Thomas kept shouting. "I wanted to make her feel special by making her look festive and decorative. I just didn't have enough time to arrange a real train! Pulling empty trucks is something EVERYONE does, and I will not see ANYONE on Sodor offend a new engine! You'd have to throw me into an accident first and be proud of it! Unless you're going to be friendly to Molly, STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Thomas yelled as he huffed away to find Molly. Percy was trembling over his best friend snapping and even Gordon was taken a little aback by Thomas' energy.

Emily knew all too well what that outburst was all about. She almost cried.

"Thomas is right," she whimpered. "Molly is new to Sodor…and I laughed at her for pulling empty trucks…your passengers can laugh at you for all I care, Gordon!" she screamed as she steamed away as well. She huffed on until she found a turntable and turned herself around.

"Oh, what have I done?" she asked sadly. "What is wrong with me?! I have to find Molly and apologize to her!" So she set off back down the track where Molly had taken off from Abbey Station. On her way, she overtook Thomas. Thomas noticed her urgent expression as she passed by.

 _"She looks worried,"_ he thought. _"But just what would bring her to laugh at Molly?"_

Molly, meanwhile had stopped in a siding, nearly out of coal. She couldn't go much further and was still feeling bad. She knew Thomas didn't mean to make her look silly, but now that his plan failed, she felt a little betrayed by him. But she couldn't stay angry at him. He wanted to help her. She was much angrier at Emily for laughing at her first thing. She simply could not let go of that thought, being sensitive as she was. As Molly waited to see Thomas or James again, she saw Emily coming up beside her on the far right line. She seemed sorry and apologetic, but as Molly remembered being laughed at first thing, she did not trust the emerald engine.

"What do you want, Emily?!" she asked accusingly.

"Molly, please…I came to say I'm sorry," said Emily.

"You're sorry?" Molly said, obviously not convinced.

"Please, Molly," begged Emily. "I didn't mean it! I truly want to be a friend! It was-"

"No!" interrupted Molly. "Just saying sorry as an easy way to receive forgiveness is not going to help you. James told me what you really are! You're a devious schemer who pretends to be caring and friendly! Well Emily, you can forget about your apologies! You're a conniving, deceptive bully, and I've only one thing to say. I HATE you, and I always will! Just…GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Molly's outburst scared Emily a little, so she indeed steamed quickly away. She steamed all the way back to Tidmouth Sheds, feeling horrible. She didn't really want to laugh at Molly at all, but she was in such a rough mood, conflicting over Gordon and James, she couldn't help it. She wanted to feel powerful by putting someone below her, but she knew that wasn't the right way to think. Even if she couldn't make friends for Molly, she still wished her a wonderful life on Sodor and hoped that Thomas could help her.

"This isn't who I am…I'm so much better than this! I can be friendly…Please!" she whispered as she began to cry. "I'm so sorry, Molly…" But it was no good. Molly wouldn't hear her anyway.

Back at the siding, Thomas had just found Molly, looking very sad. He was told by the stationmaster about the empty trucks that had to be delivered to the Coaling Plant.

"I'm sorry I made you look silly," he huffed to Molly. "But they are waiting for your empty trucks at the Coaling Plant."

"But I've nearly run out of coal," moaned Molly.

"Don't worry," puffed Thomas. "I can help you get there." He switched to the track behind Molly and pushed while she pulled. Thomas and Molly worked together and they arrived at the Coaling Plant in no time at all. There were lots of engines waiting for them. Among them was James. Molly felt a little better seeing his face again. They needed the empty trucks to start their nighttime deliveries.

"Your empty trucks were important after all," puffed Thomas. Molly felt so proud it made her axles tingle.

"We need even more trucks!" chuffed Henry.

"I'll get them!" Molly chuffed cheerfully.

"You go, Molly," said James. "You'll be really useful for all of us now!"

"And I'll help," puffed Thomas. Molly filled up with more coal and Molly and Thomas raced back to the yard. They collected some more empty trucks and they puffed quickly away. Gordon was stopped at a junction. His signal had turned to red.

"Out of the way," puffed Molly. "Empty trucks coming through!"

"You see?" laughed Thomas. "Sometimes empty trucks are more important than your express." Gordon's face went as red as the signal, and Molly felt more special than special.

At last, Molly got enough trucks to all the engines at the Coaling Plant. Soon, they were loaded with coal and ready to make their deliveries for the night.

"Thank you, Molly," said Edward.

"On our way," added Henry as he and Edward set off into the night with their loads. James got ready too, but he also had a plan…

"Molly?" called James. "If you need me, just wait in the yards and I'll come for you once I'm through with my deliveries."

"Of course, James," said Molly. James gave her a smile and a wink as he set off with his coal trucks along with Edward and Henry. As he made his deliveries across the line, he kept thinking about Molly and her cheerful appearance when she was happy. He tried approaching Emily upon first meeting her, but that didn't work too well. Now with Molly, he could see more friendliness and care in her than in Emily.

"Molly…my dear Molly," he whispered as he delivered the coal all across the different stations…

Later that evening, Thomas went back to Tidmouth Sheds to settle in. But as he backed into his berth, he heard an unhappy sigh beside him. He looked and saw Emily looking very guilty.

"Emily? What is it?" he asked.

"Thomas…" she whimpered. "How is Molly? I really hope she's alright."

"Molly is doing much better, Emily," said Thomas. "Her empty trucks really were important. She delivered them all to Edward, James and Henry to fill up and deliver around the line."

Emily felt proud of Molly now, but she also felt worse and worse after hearing how important the empty trucks were. Then Thomas remembered what Molly said that morning.

"But…what's all this about laughing over her empty trucks?" asked Thomas.

Emily suddenly felt very frightened as she recalled Thomas snapping at Abbey Station. She wanted to tell Thomas exactly what made her laugh at Molly, but something was scaring her into not wanting to tell him, so she thought something up.

"I feel very bad for doing that, Thomas," she moaned. "I just had a lot of pestering dreams last night and I didn't sleep perfectly."

"Hmm," Thomas replied. "I see. Did you apologize?"

"I tried…but…just what Molly said to me…" Emily said as her voice broke.

"What?" asked Thomas.

"I tried to say sorry to her, but she rejected me and said she hated me!"

Thomas' heart flipped then stood still. He watched as Emily's lips quivered, then she let loose and started to cry. Thomas couldn't believe someone actually told Emily they hated her. He certainly got annoyed by her in the past when she bossed him or his friends around, but he would never hate her in his life. But one of his fears had come true. He remembered when Emily asked him if he didn't hate her after he returned to Knapford Sheds from sleeping in a siding, and now someone had actually declared their hate for her.

"Oh, Emily," he said sadly.

"I'm hated, Thomas!" she sobbed. She began to lose control and her sobs became louder and sadder as more tears escaped her eyes.

"Oh no!" Thomas said urgently. "Shh, shh! Don't cry, Emily! Please don't cry. Molly doesn't really hate you. She'll come round eventually. I'm still your friend, and so are plenty other engines."

Emily looked at Thomas. She still admired how sensitive he was toward her. "Thanks, Thomas," she whimpered.

"Aren't you still happy you've moved in with us?" asked Thomas. "I know I am."

"Yes, I am, Thomas. I'm still so sorry for what I said at Knapford Sheds…" whispered Emily.

"It's alright, Emily," said Thomas. "We had a lovely night under the stars, and now, I'll be keeping you company right here."

Emily managed to smile. "Thank you, Thomas," she whispered as she began to feel better.

Back on the main line, James had just finished all his coal deliveries.

"Well done, James," said the stationmaster.

"You have Molly to thank, sir," said James. "She brought us all the trucks for us. Goodnight sir." And he started on his way back to the yards where his special new friend was waiting.

Molly felt much happier now, being appreciated by some of the engines, especially James. Unlike Emily, Molly found James to be somewhat handsome besides splendid with his red paint, and she really liked how he looked out for her. Soon, she heard him whistle and puff into the yards. He was looking happy to see her again.

"Hello, my special, important friend," he said.

"Hello, James," smiled Molly. "Did my empty, yet important trucks help?"

"Oh, yes indeed, Molly. You really helped us be really useful. That makes you really useful to as far as I'm concerned," complimented James. Molly felt pleased, but she suddenly remembered rejecting Emily and lost her smile.

"Molly, what's with the frown?" asked James.

"I just remembered, James...earlier this evening, Emily tried to trick me with a fake apology," snapped Molly.

"And?" said James.

"I knew she's trying to tease me again, so I told her I hate her and I always will!" Molly replied, exasperated.

James was a little surprised. He didn't think that anyone would be brave…or foolish enough to declare their hate for Emily directly to her.

"Well done, Molly," he said reassuringly. "You're completely right to hate her. Just avoid her as much as you can and always think about me. I'll always care about you." He buffered to her, making her look at him with a slight smile.

"Thank you, James. As long as I have your company to look forward to, I think I can get over Emily," she said.

"I could humiliate her if that would help ease your anger," said James.

"No, that's alright, James. I would certainly like to see if her feelings can be hurt. Then she'd feel how I felt. I just want to be happy with you."

"I am glad, Molly," smiled James. "I'm very glad you came to Sodor. If I can't have Emily, then I can have you as my special friend." Molly smiled even more and began to giggle slightly at James' compliment. In turn, James laughed too, feeling happy to have his new friend right with him. Although he was quite vain with most of the engines, Molly really gave him a change for the greater good, but this was just the beginning…

* * *

As the present dawned back on James, Thomas and Emily stared hard at him. He looked extremely glum having to recall his bad ways between Emily, Gordon and himself.

"Molly and James…I never imagined…" murmured Thomas.

"I hope you regret what you told Molly back then, James," Emily said sternly. "That must have been only one of many mistakes that made you lose her."

James said nothing, but Emily could see how ashamed he felt for his bluffing. She felt like he was hurting so badly inside and she knew it wasn't going to be easy to tell everything. She also felt rather proud of him for telling his story despite his shyness and nervousness. By now, James was getting tired. His eyes were feeling heavy and he was ready to turn in. Thomas and Emily felt like calling it a night too.

"I'm wavering right now," he yawned. "I'd like to return to the sheds. But I promise, I'll continue my story every evening until I have told you everything."

"OK, James," said Emily.

As the three engines made their way back to Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas suddenly got an idea. Although all the engines knew about his relationship with Emily, he wanted to respect James' wishes if he wanted to keep his story a secret.

"James? For when you continue your story tomorrow night…would you like to sleep with Emily and me in Knapford Sheds?" he asked.

"That's not a bad idea, Tommy," said Emily. "We'd have more privacy so we can respect your secret, James."

James was a little puzzled by this offer. "Wait…" he said. "Knapford Sheds? But Emily, that's where you and Thomas always kiss and share your love…"

"It may be the Love Shed for me and Emily, James," said Thomas. "But helping you reconcile with Molly is much more important. I don't mind a few nights without kissing if it means getting your love and joy back. What do you think, Emily?"

Emily was a little disappointed, but with Thomas wanting to help James this much, she agreed.

"OK, Thomas. It'll make the next time we kiss more worth it," she smiled.

"No, you two. Enjoy your kisses. I…I…I wouldn't want to intrude," said James.

Emily looked kindly at James. "You're very sweet to respect our privacy, James, but you won't intrude. We can keep you company, and we're gonna help you through this."

James couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Emily. I don't say it enough, but truly, you two are wonderful friends."

"Besides, although this is a serious subject to help you with, I haven't had the chance of bedtime stories for a long time," Emily added.

"Neither have I," said Thomas. "I remember telling those stories about Duke, Stewart and Falcon. Those were lovely nights…"

So it was decided. James agreed to spend the nights with Thomas and Emily in Knapford Sheds, telling his story about his relationship with Molly until he gave out all the details. But this was only the beginning of Sodor's Ruby getting the chance to shine again.

* * *

Yes the title is obviously based on "Dial M for Murder", I had done something similar for Emily and Rosie before so I thought it was only appropriate to do so for Molly as well. So this how the next few chapters are going to go, James telling Thomas and Emily about his memories of Molly, til eventually Gordon and James were found out and how James tried to redeem himself. So in your reviews tell us what you thought of this chapter and we shall see you in the next chapter.


	3. Sense of Humour

It was the evening after James had confessed to Thomas and Emily that he had a relationship with Molly way back when, then she eventually abandoned him. James had found his courage and began to tell his story to Thomas and Emily after they offered to help him reconnect with Molly.

James, Thomas and Emily had all finished their duties for the day and had planned to meet at Knapford Sheds as agreed. Thomas and Emily were the first to arrive there. Thomas backed into the shed on the first line from the right. Emily backed in right beside him.

"What do you suppose James will tell us tonight, Emily?" asked Thomas.

"I don't know, Thomas," said Emily. "It seems that he actually had a decent start with Molly upon first meeting her."

"I can't believe I'm saying this…but I actually hope to hear something happy that happened between them," added Thomas.

"I hope so too," said Emily.

Soon, James came by and backed in beside Emily, on the far left line. Emily now had two gentleman on either side of her.

"Hello, James. So you've come," she said.

"Yes," said James. "I'm here to keep on with my story as agreed."

"Alright, James. Please continue," said Thomas…

* * *

Molly had been on the island for a few months now. When her life first started, she felt ashamed and silly after being laughed at and having her special make her look unimportant in front of some of the engines. Thomas had helped her get around those tough events, but James was most particularly interested in Molly. He had pushed some of his vain manner aside and took a kind approach to her despite secretly hurting Emily alongside Gordon.

Over those few months, Emily had caused trouble for Thomas by teasing him over being slow when he was just being careful with the milk. He challenged her to a race but ended up ruining the milk. Molly had already hated Emily for laughing at her for pulling "empties," but when she heard that, her grudge became even stronger and after Thomas was scolded by the Fat Controller, Molly declared to Emily she was a snotty engine, ignoring Emily's sobs of feeling hurt.

When James had heard about that, he was proud of his yellow friend. "That's right, Molly," James had said. "She's a truly bad engine."

"She doesn't belong on Sodor," Molly had said. "She's proud of what she does!"

James was still lying about Emily, but Molly still believed him. James thought his friendship with Molly was going well, but mostly because she didn't know that James was the main reason next to Gordon that Emily had changed. Soon after that, Emily thought she could be a queen and decided to tell Percy what to do, but that resulted in Percy crashing into Mavis and Toby running over a telephone pole, driving Molly's dislike for the emerald engine even further, to the point that she avoided her altogether.

Eventually, the end of the year was close. It was winter on the Island of Sodor. Everywhere was covered in a beautiful blanket of soft snow. The tracks were completely covered and the Fat Controller thought he had to get the railway running again as soon as possible.

At Tidmouth Sheds, all the engines woke up to the wintery world outside.

"Winter has come again," said Thomas.

"It's sure to be absolutely covered!" said Henry.

"Perhaps we should all have our snowploughs fitted," suggested Emily. Thomas didn't like hearing this but agreed with the others. Soon, all the engines were at the Fitter's Yard having their snowploughs applied to clear the tracks and waited for the Fat Controller to arrive and start their day.

"The island is certainly working slowly right now, Percy," said Thomas.

"I hope you don't work slowly with your snowplough, Thomas," peeped Percy.

"I wonder what jobs we'll be doing this holiday," murmured Toby.

"I hope to be given something special. It's what I deserve sometimes," said Emily.

"Hmph! The railway is covered and my express can't wait! My passengers rely on me!" hooted Gordon.

"Where's Molly?" James asked to himself. "She'd be a good help to us, and an uplift to us all."

"I'm sure you'll see her, James," said Edward. "The Fat Controller will need all the engines he can get to help with the holiday."

The Fat Controller soon arrived. "We must get the island moving again!" he boomed. "And when the lines are clear, I will need an engine to take the presents train to the Holiday Party at Knapford."

All the engines wanted to take the presents train. It was the jolliest train of the year. Even Gordon thought of the prospect if it meant being important as he sneered at Emily, making her lose confidence that she'd get a chance. James, however became very determined as always. He was about to ask the Fat Controller if Molly could work with him when he heard him speak.

"James, you must work with Edward. Remember, the tracks are icy and you must all work together and take care." Then the Fat Controller left for Brendam Docks where the presents train was to be picked up.

But James wanted to finish first and take the presents train. He especially did not like the idea of having to work with Edward. He wished it was Molly who would accompany him. "An old, blue slowcoach like you is sure to slow me down!" he huffed.

"Work together and take care…that means, James, don't go too fast for Edward or get careless with ice!" Emily said in a slightly nagging manner towards one of her enemies.

"I haven't time to listen to you or any other slow coaches!" grouched James as he set off with Edward.

"Me, a slowcoach? Hardly," Gordon grunted to no one in particular.

James and Edward's first job was to clear the lines to Knapford. Edward worked as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough for James. "Hurry up!" he snorted as he sped on ahead. "Molly would be quicker!"

Henry was clearing the line when James steamed quickly past. "Slow down!" cried Henry. "And take care!"

But James wasn't listening. He was dreaming about the presents train. He didn't notice the tracks were icy. James' wheels began to slip and slide.

"Whoa!" he cried. He was going faster and faster…suddenly it seemed quite fun.

"YIPPEE!" called James. He was starting to enjoy himself. He was sliding so fast that he slid all the way into Maithwaite Station. Then what he saw just ahead of him made him whistle with delight. There was Molly, clearing the tracks herself.

"Hello, James," she said. "What are you doing sliding around the line so fast?"

"Hello, Molly," said James. "The Fat Controller ordered us to clear the tracks to Knapford. He says he'll need an engine to take the presents train to Knapford once we finish clearing the lines."

"The presents train?" gasped Molly. "Ohh, that would be a lovely train to take. I'd be overjoyed to pull it."

When James heard this, he felt a little bad for what he felt earlier. As much as he wanted to take the presents train, he felt like Molly would be a good choice too. But he still wanted the chance to take it himself. "I'm very sorry, Molly," he said. "But I might be doing that…No offense."

"Oh, thank you, James. I don't really need to pull it," said Molly. "But what makes you think you'll do it?"

"I'm trying to clear the tracks as quickly as possible, but having to work with Edward will surely take that chance from me! He's going too slowly to have a chance anyway!"

"James," Molly replied. "Icy tracks can be risky. Doing things too quickly can cause trouble. Don't you remember what happened with Thomas and Emily with his milk wagons?"

"Yes, I do remember Molly," said James. "But I'm not taking any milk. I won't have to worry about that."

"Please be careful, James. And what about me? Wouldn't you want to see me or him pull the presents train?" asked Molly.

"Yes, I would, dear Molly," smiled James. "I just want to be really useful, just like you. But I'd pull the presents train just for you to see how much I want to see the children be happy…actually, I'd much prefer if you were working with me instead of Edward."

"R-really?" Molly asked, quite flattered.

"Yes," said James.

"You are sweet, James, and I'd gladly accompany you if I could, but I must keep clearing any tracks I can. After that, I have decorations to deliver to Knapford to prepare for the party…I know it might sound a little hard for you, but please try to slow down and take care."

For a second, James wanted to repent these words, but hearing them from Molly didn't sound like a nag. From her, it sounded more like friendly advice.

"I'll try, Molly," said James. "Happy Holidays!" and he huffed on down the track. Molly giggled and huffed on by herself.

Once her tracks were clear, she went to Ffarquhar Station to gather the bunting and decorations to be put up at Knapford. She went slowly and carefully on her way to negotiate the icy tracks. She also wondered about the presents train herself. If she got the chance to pull it, she would be quite pleased, but she also thought about what James said earlier. She did want to see him get such a privilege after he had been so friendly to her upon her arrival. She imagined what it would be like to see such a sight. Perhaps he'd be covered with lights and decorations himself. She giggled to herself as she imagined him looking like a present himself.

Soon, she arrived at Knapford Station where some workmen were waiting.

"Thank you, Molly. You certainly took care on the line," said the stationmaster. "Could you also bring over those coal trucks to the platform? James and Edward need to take them to the Coaling Plant."

"My pleasure, sir," smiled Molly. Once the decorations were unloaded, she huffed ahead of the platform and switched to the next line to arrange her flatbeds and gather the coal trucks. After she arranged them on the platform, she heard James coming by to wait for Edward. She switched to the line beside him as he came backing in.

"Molly?" said James. "What are you doing here?"

"I just brought in the decorations for the party, James," she said. "Your coal trucks are already there for you and Edward."

"…Thanks, Molly," James said quietly as she huffed back onto the main line.

James waited for Edward. He listened to the choir and watched all the colorful decorations being put up. James wanted to take the presents train more than ever. He felt some sympathy for Molly. His desire to pull the presents train was becoming stronger and more desperate, but he didn't want to upset Molly. He felt happy that she brought in the decorations and his mind wrestled with thoughts.

"If she could be my back engine, I suppose that'd be OK," he murmured to himself. "But then I might not be chosen, because of Edward!"

Finally, Edward puffed in. "Trust a blue engine to be late!" called James.

"I'm sorry," gasped Edward. "I had to go slowly and take care."

"Slow engines like you don't get to pull the presents train!" snorted James, and the pulled away.

James raced to the Coaling Plant as fast as he could. On the way, he flew past Molly.

"Slow down, James! And be careful! You might derail!" she whistled, but James was too excited as he flew past with Edward.

"Must be first, must be first!" he puffed. James reached the top of Gordon's Hill. The tracks were icy and James started to speed up. Edward wasn't happy. James' wheels started to slip and slide.

"Whee!" cried James. "This is the way to get the job done fast!" James thought it was the best slide ever. At the Coaling Plant, James and Edward's train had been filled with coal.

Edward called to James. "You must slow down and take care. Didn't you hear Molly on the run?"

"I AM taking care," replied James. "…taking care to finish first! I'm going to pull the presents train! Hopefully with Molly!" and James pulled out.

 _"Molly?"_ Edward thought to himself. _"Why with her, I wonder?"_ They headed for Brendam Docks. Edward didn't like rushing about, but he had to press on with James' hasty manner.

"Finish first, finish first!" James huffed happily. He started to go faster and faster…and faster! But he didn't know how very icy the tracks were. His wheels started to slip and slide.

"Oh my!" cried James and he applied his brakes as hard as he could. Edward tried to brake as well, but it was too late! James slid off the rails, right into a snowdrift. Snow burst up all over the place like a bag of flour popping open. Luckily, Edward wasn't hurt or derailed, but James was now in a serious jam. He was now buried up to his face in thick snow.

"Bust my buffers!" cried James.

"Oh dear," wheeshed Edward. "What shall we do?"

"What was I thinking?" James moaned to himself. "I should have listened to Molly when she told me to be careful! Oh, I shouldn't have done this!"

The Fat Controller arrived on Salty. He was very cross. "James and Edward," he boomed. "The tracks were icy and you were not taking care! You have caused confusion and delay!"

James felt bad. "It wasn't Edward, sir. He's not to blame. It was me."

"What do you mean?" The Fat Controller asked sternly.

"Edward wanted to slow down but I wanted to go fast so that I could pull the presents train," he explained.

"You won't be doing that now, James," said the Fat Controller. James' heart sank. He had crushed any chances he had by now. But he wondered if Molly would be given the chance. Seeing her do it wouldn't be too bad. But before he could ask, the Fat Controller spoke again. "Edward, you are a reliable engine. You can pull the presents train."

"At your service, sir," smiled Edward.

"But you can't pull it alone. It is a very long train," the Fat Controller concluded.

Hearing this gave James an idea. The Fat Controller had made his decision, but despite Molly not pulling the train, James thought that perhaps he could make up for his mistake and impress her by being helpful after the mishap he had caused. He could prove he wasn't completely reckless.

"Sir," called James. "If I promise to go slowly and take care can I be Edward's back engine?"

The Fat Controller wasn't sure. "Only if you can puff slowly and carefully," he said.

James felt pleased. "Edward," he puffed. "I will learn to take care just like you!" And so Edward pulled James back onto the tracks.

"I'm glad you'll learn, James," said Edward. "Be sure to listen to what I call to you as we deliver the presents train."

Later at Brendam Docks, the two engines collected the presents train and set off carefully for Knapford. As they huffed along the line, James didn't feel disappointed. He felt happy. Molly would surely like how he learned his lesson and how he helped Edward deliver such a jolly train.

Whenever they came to some icy tracks, Edward called out, "Slow down," and now, James slowed down. And when they went down Gordon's Hill, Edward called out, "Apply your breaks," and James applied his brakes…and slowly and safely, the two friends puffed into Knapford Station. When the children saw the presents, they cheered and cheered.

"Thank you, James," called Edward.

"Thank you, Edward!" said James. "You really are a useful blue engine!"

After some time, the presents were unloaded and placed under the trees at Knapford for the party. James arranged the empty trucks in a siding with Edward, feeling excited to see Molly again.

That evening, the party was due to begin soon. James waited to see Molly again so he could tell her all about his usefulness with Edward. He watched the line for any sign of her, but she did not come. The time came closer and closer for the party. James was beginning to lose hope. He had watched all evening and saw no sign of Molly. But then just as the party began, he heard a whistle, and there was Molly huffing toward the station, facing him.

"Happy Holidays, Molly," said James.

"Happy Holidays, James," she replied.

As the party started to get more exciting, a few engines came along to see it. Thomas and Percy came along.

"Edward!" cheered Thomas. "The station looks wonderful!"

"Yes, Thomas," smiled Molly. "Thanks to me delivering the bunting."

"Those children look very happy, Edward," said Percy. Sometime later, Emily and Henry came by too.

"Very festive, isn't it?" whistled Henry.

"Yes. It is impressive," Emily murmured, mostly to herself. Molly refused to even look at Emily. She just focused on James and the party.

For a while, the engines enjoyed the holiday party. The trees were well decorated, the bunting looked impressive around the station and the children were all happy with the presents. Then James remembered. He wanted to tell Molly about the presents train, but he wanted to speak alone with her to keep his secret safe.

"Molly?" he said. "May I speak with you alone please? I've something I want to share with you."

"OK, James," said Molly. "Happy Holidays to everyone!" she whistled as she reversed away. While the engines were still enjoying the party, James slipped away too. The choir had one last song of the night before the party was over. Although no one noticed, Emily listened to the choir singing "Silent Night." She closed her eyes and listened in silence to the choir, trying to find some peace inside her. A tiny tear trailed out of her eye and down her face. She loved that song so much, and it was the main thing that helped her find any peace at all with all the pain she was faced with.

Meanwhile, Molly had gone a good distance away from the station. James came up after her and buffered up to her.

"What is it, James?" asked Molly.

"I want to tell you about my accomplishment today."

"Did you pull the presents train as you hoped?" Molly asked curiously.

"No, Molly," said James, with some shame. "Edward pulled it…but I worked as his back engine."

"The back engine?" asked Molly.

"Yes. The Fat Controller told me I wouldn't pull the train after my accident."

"What accident?" said Molly.

"I…I was too fast today," said James. "I wanted to finish quickly so I'd be chosen, but I became careless on the icy tracks, and I was derailed. Edward wanted to go slowly and take care as the Fat Controller had told us to do."

Molly looked at James for a moment before he continued. "I'm very sorry, Molly. I wanted to take your advice, but with him being slow, I felt my chance slipping away. I know I was silly, but it's just, whenever the Fat Controller mentions something special or grand to do, I get very determined to get that chance. But as much as I wanted to take that train, I realize that you didn't get the chance either."

"I'm glad you owned up, James," said Molly. "But I don't mind that I wasn't chosen. I just hope you learned a lesson after your accident."

"The main reason I chose to be Edward's back engine was to impress you. I wanted to make up for my mishap by helping the children be happy at the party."

"I am impressed that you delivered the presents safely, James," said Molly. "But please pay attention to my advice and take it to heart."

"I wish I could, Molly," answered James. "I just have too much hitting my mind. My desires are too strong. Just talking with you helps me…"

Molly heard James and wondered if she could help him at all. He had been quite nice to her since she arrived and now she had a chance to try the same. Perhaps he needed more humor and happiness in his life. He had given plenty to her already, now it was her turn.

"I don't think you have enough joy in your life," she said. "Just try to enjoy life more and see the bright side of things…Jimmy."

James' thoughts paused and he looked at Molly. "W-What?" he asked quickly. "Did you forget my name?"

"No. What do you think, James? It's a nickname. Like it, Jimmy?" she replied.

"Jimmy…" James said to himself. "I like it. Makes me sound cute, for you. But please, let it be our secret. I wouldn't want Gordon to start spreading gossip and make me a laughing stock."

"I promise, James," said Molly. She and James continued to look at each other for a long time, simply enjoying each other's company and presence. Then slowly, she felt James buffering closer to her. Molly buffered closer in turn, until they felt something very soothing to both of them. Their noses were touching gently. James had never felt something like this, but it really put his envy and shame at ease. Molly felt very safe and untied with James and they both listened to the echo of the choir back at Knapford.

"Happy Holidays, Molly," whispered James.

"Happy Holidays, Jimmy," Molly whispered back. They laughed quietly together and spent a fine evening together after several hardships…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, James paused and looked at Thomas and Emily.

"So, she gave you a nickname too?" asked Emily.

"Yes, she did," said James.

Thomas felt touched by this. Molly was certainly kind to give him such a cute nickname, but then he remembered when Emily accidentally slipped his own nickname and when he asked the other engines if they had or would like a nickname for their own. He turned to the red engine.

"James, if Molly did call you Jimmy, why did you answer no when I asked you if you had a nickname?" he asked.

James remained silent for a moment, then answered. "I didn't want to reopen any wounds by remembering such a happy time. Happy memoires can be painful if you lose someone you spent them with."

"I understand," said Thomas.

"Have you anymore to tell tonight, James?" said Emily. "It sounds quite interesting so far."

"Yes I do, Emily," replied James. And he continued on with a little more…

* * *

Several months had passed on the Island of Sodor since James wanted to pull the presents train but ended up being Edward's back engine. Now, only some time ago, Emily had to gather some special coaches after Gordon set another speed record and refused to listen to Diesel, leading to him stealing the coaches. Molly disliked diesels like any steam engine would, but when she heard about that event, she couldn't stand Emily's behaviour and thought that giving Diesel a new motor was not an apology, but an excuse for her ignorance. Then Thomas had found a pirate treasure Salty told a tale about. James and Emily dismissed it as just another tale Salty would tell on occasion and they both told Thomas not to be silly and realize there was no such thing as treasure. But both were proved wrong when the treasure was dug up. When Molly heard about Emily from James again, he bluffed that she made him say the same things to ridicule Thomas and Molly fell for it again, seeing James' lies as very good advice.

Now, the holidays were returning and the engines were busy with special jobs again. One morning, The Fat Controller brought a photographer to Tidmouth Sheds.

"This year, there is to be a Holiday Poster for the railway," the Fat Controller said. "And I need an engine to be on the poster."

All the engines were very excited. James was sure his photograph would be taken.

 _"I would look wonderful on the poster,"_ he thought. _"And Molly would be very pleased to see that!"_

"The engine on the Sodor Railway Poster will be…Edward," announced the Fat Controller. Edward was delighted, but James couldn't believe it. He was sure a red engine would be just the thing for the poster. The photographer tried to take a picture of Edward, but James got in the way.

"James, leave the shed now!" ordered the Fat Controller. James puffed sadly away. "Please continue, photographer," said the Fat Controller.

"Of course, sir," said the photographer. He checked his position on Edward. The camera flashed and soon, the posters were seen all over the island…but James still wanted to be the poster engine.

"I wonder why Edward was chosen instead of me!" James puffed at Knapford Station that evening.

"Because," huffed Henry. "Edward is always gentle with his trucks."

"And he doesn't mind doing the dirty jobs," huffed Percy.

"And he's always on time," chuffed Thomas.

James was cross. "I can do all those things too!" he pouted. "I'll show you that I'm good enough to be on the poster!" and he chuffed away. He may have been pulling coaches, but he still felt very jealous that he was left out of being seen in holiday posters across Sodor. When he finished his passenger duties that evening, he decided to try and lift his spirits by visiting Molly. He left his coaches in a siding and set off to find her. He saw her idling at Abbey Station, right where her special was proven to be more empty trucks. He whistled and she saw him coming by, looking very envious and frowning.

"Jimmy," she said. "What's wrong? Are you OK?"

"Hello, Molly," said James. "I'm sorry for the frown, but…it's Edward."

"Edward?" asked Molly.

"The Fat Controller had to choose an engine for the Holiday Posters…and he chose Edward. Now he'll be seen in the posters everywhere!"

"So?" said Molly. "That's good isn't it? Edward is a kind, useful engine."

"Yes, but still, it should have been ME! I'm not being noticed enough by the Fat Controller or anyone else except you. I came out here so you could brighten my spirits."

"Well, I think you mean well, James," said Molly. "But why do you think Edward was chosen?"

James reluctantly told Molly what Henry, Percy and Thomas said. "I can do all of that too," he said.

"But from what I saw last winter, you don't seem to want to do those things very much. You certainly want to keep on time, but you are quite rough with freight and you only seem to like doing passenger duties," replied Molly.

James felt a little silly hearing that. It was true that he didn't like pulling freight or being gentle with trains.

"Well," he said sheepishly. "Maybe I should practice those traits a little more. I promise I will take your advice this time, Molly. I wouldn't want to upset you with my mishaps. I'd do anything properly, just for you."

"Well, that's very gentleman-like of you, James," said Molly. "I'm happy to hear such words from you." As James smiled at this statement, Molly spoke again.

"Now about the posters, everyone wants to do special things, James," she said. "But it's pretty obvious that out of several engines, only one will be chosen for a certain privilege. You shouldn't get your hopes up. Maybe the Fat Controller will give you something special to do some other time."

"I really hope so," said James. "I'm pretty much the only red engine on the railway. The only other red engine is Arthur, but I'm a bright splendid red."

"Please James, try to let your stress go," Molly soothed. "I'm here to help you."

James pondered these words with some thought, while Molly took a moment to look at him. Something did separate him from the other engines. Not his personality but his appearance. It seemed exceptional to Molly. She had feelings about this before, but she never really got to express them to James, so she took her chance and spoke up.

"James…" she said. "I didn't tell you before, but I must say…there's something about you that separates you from the other engines on Sodor."

"And what is that, Molly?" asked James. "Is it my friendliness towards you?"

"No. That's certainly something I like you for…but truly, it's your red coat of paint," said Molly. "Most of the engines I've met so far are blues and greens and one brown for Toby…but you're the only red engine I've met so far…that makes you stand out among the others."

James felt proud. Usually the other engines complained about how his red paint made him conceited and overconfident.

"Your paint is certainly splendid," continued Molly. "Oh…it's very splendid…as red as a shining ruby."

James' face turned almost as red as his paintwork. "Thank you…Molly," he said, a little jittery.

"You've given me so much happiness after a rough arrival, and you feel very deeply for me…that I feel like you deserve a name of honour," said Molly. "You're my Radiant Ruby, James."

James swelled with pride. Never did he think that someone would compare his red paint to rubies, very valuable gems. It made him feel more special than he ever did before.

"Radiant Ruby…" he declared. "What a MARVELOUS name! I like it, I LIKE it!" he whistled. Molly giggled at his reaction.

"I'm glad you like it that much, Jimmy," she chimed. When James quieted down, he and Molly looked at each other for a while. James took a good look at her, his eyes scanning all around her. Her yellow paint, her red stripes and her tall domes all brought her together into a beautiful being. He thought she needed a special name too.

"Molly…" he began.

"Yes, Jimmy?" she said.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you this either, but I must admit…I think your paintwork is splendid too. I've never seen any yellow engines before. Bill and Ben are sort of yellow, but they're closer to orange. You, however are a perfect, bright yellow…just like the bright sun in summer. Because you understand me and actually want to help me unlike some engines on Sodor, I think you deserve a name of honour too."

"Really?" Molly gasped excitedly. "What shall I be?"

"Hmm," said James. "Sometimes I feel cold and shut out from joy, but you bring warmth and comfort to me, Molly. That makes you…my Shining Sun."

Molly's heart almost melted with joy. She thought no name could be more perfect than that. She felt more special too.

"Oh, James!" she gasped. "That's sounds beautiful! I love it! Thank you!"

"You're most welcome, my Shining Sun," said James. "Seeing you happy makes me want to just make you happier…I'll take your advice to heart and try to be more like Edward…being gentle with my trains and keeping on time. Have a lovely evening, Molly." And he set off for Tidmouth Sheds, feeling more confident.

"Have a good evening yourself, my Radiant Ruby," whistled Molly.

The next day, Edward and Thomas were working in the yard. Edward shunted his trucks softly and smoothly. When James arrived, he shunted his trucks softly and smoothly too.

"See? I can be gentle just like Edward!" puffed James. "I am good enough to be on the poster!"

"Edward finished a long time ago," teased Thomas. "He's already delivered his coal. That's why he's the poster engine."

James wanted to be as good as Edward. So he raced off to collect his coal trucks. James delivered dirty coal trucks all afternoon. He became greasy, grimy and grubby, and his bright shiny red coat was soon covered in coal dust. Eventually, he stopped at a station beside Henry.

"See?" puffed James. "I can get just as dirty as Edward. I am good enough to be on a poster!"

"YOU need a bath," sniffed Henry. "You won't be in any poster looking like that!"

"Good!" James replied. "It will make me readier than ever! I'm a very splendid red engine!"

But James was so dirty, it took a long time to get him clean. James was soaked and scrubbed. They even brushed behind his buffers. Just then, Percy came up beside him.

"Your gentle shunting and getting dirtier has made you late for your passengers!" puffed Percy cheekily. "Edward is always on time. That's why he's the poster engine."

By now, James was getting very irritated. He wanted to stay patient and gentle like Molly told him to, but with all the engines teasing him about Edward, he wanted to be in a poster more than ever. Then James had an idea.

 _"If I take Gordon's Express line instead of the branch line,"_ he thought. _"I will arrive before Edward and collect my passengers first! That will show everyone I'm good enough to be on a poster!"_

So James puffed onto Gordon's line. Then he raced across the countryside. James rattled over bridges and clattered through tunnels. He really wanted to get in front of Edward…not just to be on the poster, but to pay back Thomas and Percy for teasing him. James puffed back onto Edward's line.

"It worked!" laughed James. "I'm first!" Suddenly the signal tuned red. James applied his brakes and screeched to a halt. But Edward couldn't stop in time! He pushed James down the siding and James crunched…right through one of Edward's posters. Now his head could be seen where Edward's face would have been.

"Sorry," huffed Edward. "I didn't have time to stop."

"Don't worry," moaned James. "It was my fault for pushing in."

"You're finally in a poster," chuckled Thomas. "Maybe you are good enough after all!" But James didn't feel very good. He felt very silly. He didn't know what Molly would say about this…

Soon Emily arrived with the Fat Controller. "It serves you right," she sniffed. "I knew like everyone else you weren't good enough for a poster, and I was right."

"James, your racing around has caused confusion and delay!" the Fat Controller said sternly.

"Yes sir. Sorry, sir," James puffed sadly.

"Edward, you cylinder has been damaged. You can't take the children to the seaside today." The children at the station were very sad.

"But we wanted to ride on the poster engine!" the children cried.

James felt worse than ever. "Please sir," he puffed. "If I was a back engine, all the children could still ride on Edward."

"What a wonderful idea," said the Fat Controller. Emily felt absolutely terrible inside when she heard that. She so wanted to be happy again with all the pain she was facing against Gordon and James and now the Fat Controller was actually giving her enemy a chance.

 _"He's lying, sir!"_ she thought. _"Don't let him do it!"_

Edward and his carriages were very heavy, but James pushed him slowly to the seaside. His pistons pumped and his axles ached, but James pressed on. They stopped along the way to pick up more children.

"It's Edward!" the children cheered. "And look at James. He's pushing him! Isn't James a grand engine for being so kind?"

James was so proud it made his boiler bubble. He felt more useful than he had ever done.

"Even though you weren't the engine on the poster," huffed Edward. "You are still really useful."

"Thank you, Edward," said James. He kept going with Edward with the children until they reached the seaside. James felt useful, but his joy soon slipped away as he remembered all the trouble he went through that day, no thanks to Thomas and Percy teasing him cheekily.

Later that evening, after the children returned home with the two engines, James just wanted to find Molly and regain any chance of joy. He huffed away as quickly as he could to find her. Luckily, he found her only after a short while at Crovan's Gate Station. When she saw him come along, she immediately saw his troubled expression.

"Jimmy, what happened?" she asked.

"I have had quite a hectic day, Molly," moaned James. "You remember me telling you that Edward was chosen for the poster?"

"Yes," said Molly.

"Well, I did take your advice and tried to be gentle with my trucks, keeping time and delivering coal trucks...but I still wanted to be in a poster."

"Oh, James," sighed Molly.

"There's more to it, Molly," said James. "Thomas and Percy were taunting me! They said Edward was keeping time and making good deliveries and that was why he was in a poster! They made me want a poster more and more!"

"You have to learn to ignore what others say sometimes, James," said Molly.

"I felt jealous of Edward, although I know I shouldn't, and I ended up crashing through one of the posters. I helped him take the children to the seaside after his cylinder got damaged and I did feel really useful…but I feel it wasn't worth all the trouble I went through today!"

"Don't be too jealous, Jimmy," said Molly. "We all feel envy sometimes when a friend gets something to do or have and we don't. Feel happy for those who do get such privileges."

"That reminds me, Molly," said James. "Maybe I shouldn't want privileges all the time. I remember one time that the Fat Controller needed someone to pick up the Queen of Sodor from Brendam Docks. Gordon asked if it was an important job…and as I like doing important jobs, I took the chance."

"The Queen of Sodor?" said Molly. "We have a queen?"

"No, Molly," said James. "Not that kind of queen…it was an old, rusty and messy barge."

"O-oh," Molly said, realizing James' point. "I see."

"Gordon tricked me into a scheme to get my paint dirty," James said, beginning to get angry at that memory. "I shunted the barge along the line to the workshops. The mast of the barge crashed through a sludge pipe…luckily I wasn't covered at all. I managed to get the barge all the way to the workshops and I stayed completely clean through it all."

"Oh, well that's quite impressive," said Molly.

"I just can't deal with all this envy and teasing and tricking that gets me into these messes! I just want things to be easier!" James exclaimed in a tense manner, then he closed his eyes and sighed with exasperation. Molly couldn't help but feel sorry for James. He was certainly overconfident at times, but perhaps he had a reason for being so. His desires alone were one thing, but when he was teased or taunted about it, it drove his desires to desperation. After being kind to him by giving him a nickname some time ago, perhaps she needed to give him something else…

"You don't just need more joy in your life, James," she said, giving him a perky smile. "You also need more sense of humour."

"What else could I get, my Shining Sun?" asked James. "I already have my nickname Jimmy. What else could work?"

At first Molly said nothing. Then suddenly, she made a face. A very funny face. She went cross-eyed and exclaimed in a cute, childish manner. James was not expecting that. He couldn't help but chuckle very slightly.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Carefree simple humour is sometimes all you need," chimed Molly as she performed her face again. James managed to laugh more.

"Come on, perk up, Jimmy!" Molly said playfully as she kept performing her faces. Soon, James was laughing out loud.

"That's it, James! That's much better!" Molly said with a smile.

"Thank you, Molly," whistled James. "This is exactly what I wanted. Someone to have fun with me!"

"It's lovely to hear you laugh, James. Try some faces yourself," said Molly.

"Uh…" stammered James.

"Come on! Amuse me!" Molly coaxed. James was a little shy at first, but he tried anyway.

"Eh?" he exclaimed, performing a half-confused funny face. To his surprise, Molly laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" asked James.

"You are! That was truly funny James!" squeaked Molly.

"I think your laugh is cute, Molly! It's delighting to hear you so happy, my Shining Sun," smiled James.

"Thank you, my Radiant Ruby," said Molly.

The two friends continued to perform funny faces together and laughing joyfully and soon James forgot his troubles that day. James and Molly seemed to have a smooth-going relationship. They were both happy and carefree together, but unfortunately, Molly would soon learn a shocking truth that would make her feelings for her Ruby change drastically…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, all three engines were beginning to tire now.

"I think that's all I can tell for tonight," said James. After hearing more, Thomas and Emily couldn't help but feel a little happy for James, remembering when they performed funny faces for him so he'd change his attitude. Even if he didn't keep the positive attitude for long, it was still nice to see him make the effort.

"So Molly said exactly what I said…" said Thomas.

"And she made the very face I made…" murmured Emily.

"Yes, Thomas and Emily," said James. "That's mostly why I tried to improve my mood. You both reminded me of when she lifted my spirits the same way."

"And you gave each other special names like me and Emily," said Thomas.

"Radiant Ruby and Shining Sun," smiled Emily. "That sounds very lovely indeed."

"They are lovely," James answered. Then his voice began to break. "I miss Molly so much though. I just wish she could amuse me again! Make me happy again!"

"She will, James," reassured Emily. "Once we know all the details, we'll bring you and her back together and you will see that happen again."

"I hope so, Emily," breathed James. "At least I feel better remembering that fun time with her."

"We're glad to hear that," yawned Thomas. "Goodnight James. Sweet dreams, Emily."

"Sweet dreams, Thomas," said Emily. "You too, James."

"Thank you. Goodnight, Emily," murmured James. And with that, the three engines fell asleep together, feeling happier and more at peace then the evening before, and soon, Thomas and Emily would hear about a dramatic turn of events.

* * *

OK so happy day after St. Patrick's Day, ladies and gentlemen. We're getting closer to the real meat of this story, next chapter is gonna be a bombshell where we finally see Molly learn the truth about James. Prepare yourselves folks, it's gonna big. Leave your reviews and stayed tuned.


	4. The Liar is Revealed

The next evening, Thomas, Emily and James were in Knapford Sheds yet again. They had felt quite happy the previous night after James told his friends about his nicknames with Molly and her sense of humour, but now he had to tell the most difficult part of his story. How his lies were revealed and how he lost his Shining Sun. Emily was waiting with Thomas for James to begin when they saw him looking solemn and troubled.

"James, are you alright?" asked Emily. She could see that James looked very troubled indeed.

"Y-yeah…It's just not gonna be easy telling you the next part," he said quietly.

"Why?" asked Thomas.

"I'm about to tell you about how Molly learned the truth and how I lost her," said James. "But so you can help me further, I've gathered enough courage to tell you both exactly what happened."

"That's very wise of you, James," said Emily. "Please tell us." So James began the most difficult part of his story…

* * *

Several days ago, James had been jealous of Edward because he was chosen to the Holiday poster engine. Molly tried to help him get over that jealousy by giving him the name, "Radiant Ruby." James loved that name so much, he gave Molly her own name. "Shining Sun." To add to that, Molly tried to lift his spirits by using her simple, carefree sense of humour, just by performing a funny face. Not much had happened after these events…until Thomas' inner demon had awoken for the first time.

On this day, a sudden turn of events had taken place. Thomas had been mourning over Emily's changed ways while working with Mavis at the quarry. Then 'Arry and Bert saw Thomas' sadness and took full advantage by calling Emily terrible names and angering Thomas to no end. Thomas had taken revenge on both diesels by shunting a train of stone trucks into them, derailing them and getting them buried in a landslide after a blasting.

It was now the dark of night. At the yards, all the engines had turned their backs on Emily for all her misdeeds since she changed her ways while Thomas desperately and angrily tried to defend her to the edge of his own tears. Little did he and the others know that Emily had overheard all of this and she suddenly rushed past them in tears.

Thomas was now on the run to find her and help her one way or another, trying desperately to catch her. At first he saw her tail lamp shining ahead of him a few dozen yards off, but being a fast engine, Emily soon got further away and out of sight. Thomas went faster and faster into the night after her.

Meanwhile, at Maron Station, Molly was idling by herself. She too had heard about Thomas' sudden frenzy with the twins and couldn't believe he had done such a thing. She disliked diesels as much as any steam engine would, but never did she think that a steam engine, let alone Thomas would try to damage one at such magnitude. Much like many others across the island, she too was very shocked and even a little afraid at this sudden turn of events.

"Thomas…" she murmured. "I didn't think he'd ever gather such nerve…but, oh dear, the Fat Controller's gonna be so mad! What can this mean?"

Suddenly, Molly heard faint sobbing. It became closer and louder. Then suddenly, Emily flew past Molly, still in tears, fleeing from the other engines.

"Emily! What's wrong?" called Molly. Emily didn't answer. She continued to cry as she sped on her way to find Black Loch and just stay there and idle in her despair. Molly remembered when she resented Emily again after she ruined Thomas' milk delivery, calling her a snotty engine. She remembered being well away from Emily before the emerald engine started to cry from feeling so hurt.

"Emily…" Molly said to herself. "She's been rather bossy and picky with most of the engines…what would cause her to cry this much?"

Then after a few minutes, she heard another engine coming by.

"Emily! Where are you?" Thomas came huffing past Molly too, calling for his friend. Molly watched as he disappeared past her and out of hearing range.

"Emily? …Emily!" she heard him calling.

"Emily is in distraught tears. I've never seen her cry, let alone this much…and Thomas is looking for her…" Molly murmured to herself. "Something very strange is going on." Molly huffed along by herself to find another station to idle and sleep by, constantly wondering about what Thomas did at the quarry and why Emily was suddenly so sad. She huffed on until she came to Wellsworth Station and fell asleep there, but little did she know about the heart-breaking story Emily was telling Thomas that very night and it would only be in a little time before Molly would find out a shocking truth about James…

Early the next morning, a few minutes before 5:30 a.m., Molly woke up suddenly, her thoughts from the previous night flooding back to her.

 _"Just what is going on? Can't I get some explanation?"_ she thought. As she resumed thinking deeply to herself, she heard a puffing sound coming by. What she saw caught her attention. Thomas and Emily came along, side-by-side, looking occupied and full of thought. Emily seemed stronger and calmer than she ever looked before. Thomas, however looked a little nervous, comprehending what the Fat Controller would say about 'Arry and Bert. All through the night, Emily had told Thomas all about her pain and why she changed her ways. Neither one of them looked at Molly or even noticed her, they were both so happy, nervous and jittery at the same time by the recent events…

Sometime later, at Tidmouth Sheds, the other engines were just beginning to wake up. Donald and Douglas had taken up the two empty berths after Thomas and Emily ran off. As they woke up, they heard a distant sound. Edward looked out and saw Thomas and Emily huff into the yards.

"Thomas, Emily, there you are! Where were you last night?" Edward asked. Neither engine spoke. They just stopped outside the sheds. James saw Thomas and Emily and remembered when the tank engine lashed out at him and Gordon on Emily's whereabouts.

 _"First he lashes out at us…now what?"_ he thought. The Fat Controller stepped down from Emily's cab. When James saw him, he suddenly grew very nervous. He looked worriedly at Gordon who looked back the same way.

"This morning I have learned that one of my engines has been a victim of relentless bullying by not just one, but two of my engines for almost four and a half years," said the Fat Controller. The other engines murmured to each other, wondering who it was. Gordon and James however remained silent and felt their fears building more and more with each passing second. James in particular was exceedingly frightened. He hoped against hope that he wouldn't be found out.

"The victim of such bullying was...Emily," the Fat Controller declared. "Emily, would you care to reveal the identities of those who are responsible for bullying you?"

"Certainly, sir. The two engines who bullying me for four and a half years were..." she paused dramatically, "Gordon and James!"

The engines gasped. Gordon and James couldn't do anything, they had been found out. James wanted to protest, but he knew it was useless now. Even worse, all the other engines were staring at him and Gordon.

"You two are the reason why I've been so bossy for years," said Emily. She told all the engines everything Gordon and James had done and said to her over the years, she didn't leave out a single detail. The engines were all speechless. Never did any of them imagine that Gordon and James were the ones responsible for Emily's sudden change. Speaking of Gordon and James, they had never felt so weak and scared in their entire lives.

Once Emily finished, the Fat Controller walked sternly over to Gordon and James. James braced himself for the worst and what he heard made him feel ashamed, silly, guilty and frightened all at once as the Fat Controller approached them, looking full of annoyance and rage.

"I am utterly disgusted by your abysmal behavior. I have told you two thousands of times over the years that I won't accept bullying, I've given countless warnings about it, and yet you have the inexcusable cheek to disobey my orders once again and cause Emily to suffer unimaginable pain and suffering for so many years, telling her she doesn't belong here, forcing her to make terrible decisions and you actually have the sick, twisted sense of humor to enjoy constantly harassing poor Emily, when she did done nothing to deserve it."

James knew the Fat Controller was right. He just sunk into more and more embarrassment and fear with Gordon as the Fat Controller continued to berate them.

"My engines are a family, and families respect and care for one and another, you don't rule one out just so you have your way of torturing them day and night. And most importantly, this is MY railway, I make the rules and on MY railway I will never tolerate bullying from any engine whatsoever and if you two ever disobey my orders again and if you two ever bully anyone on this magnitude again, then I will lock both of you up in the shed and you will never be let out ever again! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!" boomed the Fat Controller, his voice echoed all over Tidmouth Sheds.

"Y-y-yes, s-s-sir," they trembled, they weren't big and proud now, they were small and powerless. The other engines stared grimly at each other, while Thomas and Emily glared at them with pure hatred, for everything they put Emily through. All James could do was have his mind spiral all over the place in complete oblivion as the Fat Controller's last words echoed through his head like a thunderclap in a storm. He and Gordon heard the Fat Controller speak again about their punishment.

"For your punishment you will both be left in the out of use siding, until you finally learn how to respect every engine equally!" said the Fat Controller sternly.

"...yes, sir," they replied quietly. "Now apologize to Emily this instant!"

"...we're sorry, Emily." But Emily didn't say anything, she just glared at them. It would take far more than just a simple "we're sorry" to make her forgive them, and Thomas knew this as well - he wouldn't forgive them for this either.

"Donald, Douglas, take them to the out of use siding right away!" ordered the Fat Controller.

"Aye, sir," they replied, but before they did they looked at Emily. "We're sorry we said those things about you last night, lass," Donald started. "We didna know you wer listening," Douglas added.

"And I'm sorry I said those things about you too, Emily." said Henry.

"We're all sorry we gave up on you, Emily." Edward concluded.

Emily smiled, she could see how sorry they were and said, "I forgive you...except for some of you," she added, glaring at Gordon and James.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you," said the Fat Controller. "None of you should ever be afraid to tell me if something is wrong, I will always ensure that peace on my railway is maintained at all times and that my engines are treated as a family and if anyone disrupts it then they will not go unpunished!" The engines whistled in agreement.

As the Fat Controller left the yards, Donald came out of his berth and turned to Gordon's berth. He backed up then coupled angrily to the big engine. Then he huffed his way out of the yards while Douglas did the same thing with James. As they left, they heard Percy and Emily's voices.

"So does this mean the old Emily is back?" Percy wheeshed quietly. Emily smiled at the little engine. "Yes, Percy. The old me is back and she is here to stay forever." This was met with a chorus of whistles from all of the engines. Donald and Douglas whistled back as they left the sheds.

Eventually, the twins and culprits arrived at the out-of-use siding. Gordon and James were now to be left here as long as the Fat Controller would order. Gordon was placed in the siding first and James was placed right behind him. Workmen spent some time boarding up Gordon and James' control panels so no one would try to carelessly start them up again until such time the Fat Controller decided they learned to respect everyone equally.

"There yee are!" Donald snapped to Gordon and James. "Now yee can just stay here!"

"We feel terrible aboot what he said about Emily last night," added Douglas. "Now, it appears you two were the muckle nuisances all this time!"

"Children can play in you all day for weeks, or even months…preferably, and at long last, you'll be useful…or not!" snapped Donald as he and Douglas huffed away to start their own work. Gordon looked behind himself. James said nothing and tried looking away.

"I might as well be a playground for children and let my nightmare come true," sulked Gordon.

"I wish I were a carnival engine right now," complained James. "Having children throw balls at me and knock down obstacles!" James felt bad enough already. Neither he, nor Gordon had any idea how long they'd be left here. Just like when Henry was kept in the tunnel, the Fat Controller may have said to leave him there for always, but he was eventually let out. What Henry did was nothing compared to what Gordon and James did to Emily.

James himself worried particularly over a few things. Would anyone see his red paint again or would he be left here to rust and fall apart? But then his heart began beating faster than a stampeding horse…what would Molly think? He couldn't approach her now and try to cover himself up. The Fat Controller would surely lock him in the shed at this rate if he did that. All James could do was wonder. What would happen to his relationship if…she learned the truth?

Later that day, Molly was exploring Thomas' branch line, still wondering exactly what was going on, when suddenly, she heard a cheerful-sounding whistle. Emily came along with Annie and Clarabel. She was to cover Thomas' duties for the week while he stayed in the sheds for attacking 'Arry and Bert. Emily looked very happy. It was like Molly was looking at a completely different engine. When Emily saw Molly, she smiled more and whistled joyfully.

"Hello, Molly!" she chimed. "You're looking lovely!" Molly could hardly believe her ears as Emily passed by.

"She said hello," she whispered. "Why is she suddenly so friendly? This is who I wanted to meet when I first came here…" Molly kept huffing along the branch line, feeling very touched by this.

Meanwhile, Percy was at Dryaw Station with the mail run. The Fat Controller was at the platform, checking on progress. He was proud of Emily's good efforts to keep Thomas' branch line running in his absence and Percy was happy too.

"Sir, I'm so glad that Emily is her kind gentle self again," said Percy.

"So am I, Percy," said the Fat Controller. "Now she's sure to be everyone's new friend."

"Sir," said Percy. "I've had a thought…We engines on the main line now know that Emily is back to herself again…but I think the rest of the island should know this too so they won't dislike Emily anymore. Do you think we could invite other engines to Tidmouth Sheds this evening to hear Emily's story?"

"That…is an excellent idea, Percy!" beamed the Fat Controller. "With the rest of the island knowing what really happened, Emily will have more friends than ever! I shall inform Edward and Henry to offer invitations." And he hurried away to make arrangements. At that moment, Molly stopped by Dryaw and saw Percy.

"Hello, Molly," he whistled.

"Percy…have you seen Emily?" asked Molly. "She greeted me today in such a friendly way!"

"Oh, Molly. It's something wonderful," said Percy. "We have the friendly, sweet Emily back. If you want, you can come to Tidmouth Sheds this evening and hear the whole story!" Then he set off again to complete his mail run so he could find any engines who would hear Emily's story.

"So…there's a story behind Emily's bossy manner?" murmured Molly. "I wonder what it could be…"

The Fat Controller, meanwhile had found Edward at his station and told him Percy's idea.

"I will see who I can find, sir," promised Edward.

Soon, Henry heard from Edward what Percy said too. Then within the hour, Edward and Henry were going about their work, keeping an eye out for any engines to invite to Tidmouth Sheds that evening and hear Emily's story. Edward invited a few engines he met on the main line and later at Arlesburgh. Upon finishing the mail run, Percy visited the quarry to hopefully gain a few guests and Henry went to Brendam Docks to invite any engines there…

As evening began to set in, at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas was just waking up from his doze and saw Emily coming back with Annie and Clarabel. It had been her first day of being back to her happy normal life and he wanted to hear all about it.

"Hello, Emily," he smiled. "How was your first day back to your happy life?"

"Oh, Thomas, it couldn't be better," said Emily. "Annie and Clarabel seemed to enjoy having me as their engine too."

"Very comfortable journey, Emily," said Annie.

"So useful you are," added Clarabel.

"So, how did she do with you two?" asked Thomas.

"I went gently with them, Thomas," said Emily. "The passengers were also grateful. I think I'm gonna enjoy this week working on your branch line."

"Oh, Thomas. I hope you learn some sense after your quarry fiasco!" scolded Annie.

"Very foolish what you did back there, even for the sake of defending Emily!" scolded Clarabel. Thomas didn't reply but agreed with the coaches. Emily left the coaches in a siding nearby and joined Thomas in the sheds.

"Your branch line is quite fun to work on, Thomas," said Emily. "You must be very proud to have it for yourself…or for me to have it for the week."

Thomas couldn't help but smile at that. "I'm just happy I was able to help you, Emily."

Soon, a few engines came by and gathered outside the sheds. The engines were Edward, Oliver, Duck and Molly. Of course, being confined to the sheds for the week, Thomas hadn't heard about any plans.

"What's this?" he asked. "Duck, Oliver, Molly. What are you all doing here?"

"Henry, Percy and I have invited as many engines as we could to hear Emily's story," said Edward. "We may have several more guests soon."

"Are you sure, Edward?" said Thomas. "This will be the third time Emily tells her story. First telling me, then us, now the guests?"

"Percy wanted the rest of the island to know that Emily is alright again so they won't be afraid," explained Edward.

"Thank you, Edward," said Emily. "I'm sure they'll understand." At that moment, Murdoch and Rosie came along too.

"Good evening, Emily. Edward told me about this evening," said Murdoch.

"It'll be story time soon," said Rosie to herself, then she saw the blue tank engine beside Emily. "Hi, Thomas!"

Sometime later, Harvey and Salty came along with Henry to hear Emily's story too.

"Ahoy there, milady," said Salty. "Fine evening, ain't it?"

"Yes indeed, Salty," smiled Emily.

"I enjoy a story. I look forward to hearing what you have to tell, Emily," said Harvey. Then lastly, Mavis and Toby came along with Percy.

"We've come too," said Mavis and Toby together. And as they said that, the Fat Controller's blue car stopped by the sheds. Out stepped the Fat Controller and the Thin Controller.

"I invited Mr. Percival along as well," said the Fat Controller. "I thought it would be wise for him to hear what he can and tell it to his own engines.

"Yes indeed," said the Thin Controller. "My engines are too narrow for this part of the railway, so I'd like to hear what Emily has to say."

So all the guests had arrived and were gathered together. Molly, Murdoch and Rosie from the main line, Duck and Oliver from Arlesburgh Harbour, Salty and Harvey from Brendam Docks, Mavis and Toby from the quarry and the Thin Controller from the Skarloey Railway.

"We're all gathered now, Emily," said Oliver. "Please tell us your story. We're ready to know what really happened."

"I see," said Emily. "Well, I'm sure you all must have felt unsure about me for a few years…but I'll set everything clear for you all." And so Emily retold her story to her guests, just as she told Thomas the previous night and earlier that morning to the Steam Team. All the engines, particularly Molly listened as Emily uncovered the facts for them now. Molly was quite interested to hear the story after being greeted so nicely that morning…

"You see, my life was going along quite well since I first came to Sodor until I tried to approach Gordon," said Emily. "I just said hello to him and he disowned me for not having a dome…"

The engines all listened with interested expressions as Emily told her story.

"That didn't go too well, but I forgot about it…until I met James at the washdown," Emily continued. "He tried to hit on me first thing with his red paint. I admit he looks splendid, but not very bright. I admitted my denial for his 'magnificence,' as it were, and he just got angry about it…"

Molly heard the part about James and began to wonder. _"James…he has something to do with all this?"_ she thought.

"As time passed, we tried avoiding each other…but then one evening, they approached me and started whining about my first time meeting them," said Emily. "That was the first time I lost patience. They were behaving silly over simple greetings, so I told them to both grow up."

All the engines managed to laugh, except Molly. _"James? My Radiant Ruby?"_ she thought. _"What did he do?"_

"Well, I think you were right to tell them to grow up, Emily," said Duck.

"By early December, that was the first time they drove me to tears," said Emily. "…calling me an eye-sore and a steamroller…all because I have large wheels. They kept taunting me with names until I couldn't hold back my tears and I bolted away from them, crying over my hurt feelings."

"Those blithering idiots," grunted Oliver. "Calling you a steamroller indeed! Your large wheels are what makes you a lovely engine, Emily."

"Thank you, Oliver," smiled Emily.

Molly could feel her heart flinching more and more. _"I know James can be conceited sometimes…but, oh no!"_ she thought frantically as Emily kept going.

"That winter, I was working at the coaling plant to take some trucks to Brendam Docks. James was there too, banging the trucks about when he called to me to take the trucks away, calling me a domeless ditz!"

Some of the engines looked sad, some of them glowered in anger. Molly was becoming more and more shocked. Her Radiant Ruby had been using Emily just for amusement and pleasure of teasing!

"The trucks were so angry and they couldn't get back at James," said Emily. "So they took their revenge on me instead. They pushed me down Gordon's Hill and crashed me into a field. Gordon came along and said that was the perfect place for me to be…out of sight and out of the way. Donald eventually came and helped me to the Steamworks. Now my buffers were bronze when I first came here, but ever since my accident, I had these new silver ones. After what happened that day, when I returned to service a few weeks later, I decided to take drastic measures…I changed my ways into a bossy, unapproachable engine…but only to try to stop Gordon and James from being so horrible."

Mavis spoke up. "So you were never bossy and mean because you wanted to be…it was all because of them hurting you so?"

"That's right, Mavis," Emily said sadly. "It was all them…anyway, after a storm messed up the line that Spring, I was told to gather some lumber to help Farmer McColl keep his baby calves warm and safe. But thanks to Gordon and James, I was filled with anger and impatience. So I bossed everyone around me to work faster and harder. I bossed Trevor to move a branch away, but I didn't thank him. When I passed by some workmen, I blew steam at them, making them all very cross, then I came to a water tower right over the line. I bossed Elizabeth to move it away, but she refused my demands."

Salty spoke next. "It seems both those pirates who hurt you were too big for their buffers."

"When Thomas came by and asked what was going on, I told him about Elizabeth. In turn, he called me a big bossy boiler. Secretly, I knew he was right. I only meant to be mean to Gordon and James, but I took out all my anger on many who did nothing to me…" Emily paused, looking sad. She suddenly heard some of her guests starting to cry. Murdoch, Mavis and Duck couldn't hold back their tears and Molly, being a sensitive engine was particularly affected, and was crying more than the others. Even the Thin Controller had his face covered with a handkerchief.

"Oh, dear gosh," Murdoch heaved through his tears. "You poor lady, Emily."

"Dear Heavens!" sobbed Molly. "Oh, the pain!" She felt her mind swinging wildly now. She had been friends with James, but this is what he was doing and she never knew? She was friends with a monster? As she learned everything what Gordon and James did to Emily, she felt her vision becoming a little blurry, she was so shocked.

Emily went on. "Then one day, a Railway Inspector was to come and inspect us for cleanliness. The winner would be rewarded a prize. As you might have guessed, Gordon and James bragged that they'd win the prize. I bragged too, but only because I wanted to outshine them. Me, Gordon and James all got cleaned, while also talking down on Thomas and Percy. But while we waited at the Coaling Plant for the Railway Inspector, James decided to look for a sunnier spot. He shunted a truck into a lever and poured coal everywhere, making us all dirty again. Thomas and Percy won first prize in the end and I went to be cleaned. I felt awful for talking down on Thomas and it got even worse when Gordon sneezed next to me, making me dirty yet again!"

"Those disgraceful beasts!" grouched Oliver.

"The workmen refused to clean Gordon as a result while they re-cleaned me," said Emily. "But the next day, Gordon pushed me under the coal chute and covered me all over. Even worse, James was right there in front of me and he told me that was for them being dirty the day before. I wanted to get them back, but they just jeered at me and called me a goody-goody telltale that pleads others to fight for me. All I could do was cry in a dusty mess of coal."

The engines were now very, very sad and angry at the same time. Molly was now sniffling hard along with Oliver and Duck. Mavis found it very hard not to cry, Salty merely glowered with anger, Rosie said nothing and the Thin Controller had face palmed himself at this rate.

"Scoundrels! Those wretched, raving irresponsible deceivers!" snarled Murdoch. "They should be stripped of service and be given to a museum!" The Fat Controller was about to address Murdoch's remark when Emily took the words out of his mouth.

"Take it easy, Murdoch," said Emily. "They're confined to the out-of-use siding for as long as Sir Topham Hatt finds necessary. After that coal incident, Gordon was chosen to give the new Mayor of Sodor a tour of the island while I was to cover the express duty. Gordon bragged that he could cross the island twice before tea time. Through my desperation, I wanted to prove I could be as good as Gordon, but with desperation came a terrible price…The express was rather heavy for me and I left the brake coach behind. At a junction, I had to wait for Edward to pass by, making me even more impatient. As a result, at the first station, Bertie's passengers were to board the express, but I set off before they even arrived…I was going so roughly, my carriages were bumping my passengers about."

"Dear me, it sounds like you were really tested by those two demons, Emily," said Mavis. "I can't believe they were so selfish."

"Neither can I," agreed Emily. "I soon arrived at a water tower to refill, but James was already there. He told me to wait, but I have heard Gordon say the express can't wait, so I pressed on, and sure enough, I ran out of water and stopped altogether. Hence, I failed to live up to Gordon's ability. James took the express the rest of the way and I learned patience with him by taking a goods train. But it got even worse. James tattled to Gordon and he told me I didn't belong on the railway. I spent that night crying and falling into sheer darkness and pain."

"Well Emily, considering that Gordon and James tortured you this badly, I can see why you changed your ways," said Murdoch.

"I spent a few more years after that being involved in accidents and problems I caused, but truly I never wanted to do such things. I laughed at Molly for pulling empty trucks on her first day, teased Thomas into racing me with his milk delivery and I caused Percy, Mavis and Toby to crash together after I thought I could be a queen…"

The engines had heard about some of these events and listened as Emily explained herself.

"Then after that, I refused to listen to Diesel after he took Special coaches for Gordon which I was told to give to him," said Emily. "And then I told Thomas not to be silly over finding treasure Salty told him about…Everything I did, I did not do it intentionally. I was tortured, taunted and abused by Gordon and James to such a point…and now, I am my lovely kind self for all of you to enjoy forever, thanks to my wonderful friend Thomas here. Only yesterday, he finally decided to help me once and for all. I'm sure many of you heard about Thomas burying 'Arry and Bert in a landslide?"

"Yes," some of the engines murmured.

"Well, I'll tell you exactly why he did that. Thomas was working at the quarry yesterday with Mavis, feeling awful about why I changed my ways. 'Arry and Bert decided to have some fun and tease Thomas and calling me absolutely terrible names that I'm sure Thomas doesn't want to repeat. But Thomas' desire to help me made him bury them both in a landslide just to defend me from those two diesel's insults."

All the engines stared grimly at Thomas. Thomas knew he'd look a little questionable for what he did so he understood their expressions.

"So that's why he went wild at the quarry," Molly gasped. "He buried them in a landslide of earth and rock…just to defend you from being insulted?"

"He's truly sorry though," said Emily. "He's made a solemn promise never to do such a thing again and he's staying here for the rest of the week by order of Sir Topham Hatt while I keep his branch line running. Anyway, that same night he tried to defend me from the other engines' remarks and he eventually found me at Black Loch. He told me how much he wanted to help me, and I told him everything that happened to me…just like I told you just now…And that is my entire story."

After hearing everything, the engines felt happy, sad, angry and surprised all at once. Emily was never a bad engine. All this time, she was hurting from severe bullying and now she had explained exactly why she did what she did. After hearing the truth themselves, they could never be angry at Emily now. Especially Molly. She felt extremely guilty for expressing hate towards her when she first arrived. She couldn't imagine the pain Emily felt then.

"Now you know everything…please, do you all forgive me?" Emily asked.

All the engines looked at Emily. It had been the most amazing story they had ever heard and they could see she was true to her word.

"Well, shiver me timbers. That was quite a marvelous tale, and a very true one too," said Salty.

"Of course we forgive you, dear lady," said Murdoch.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Emily," said Harvey. "You told us and we are all very thankful."

"We all understand, Emily," said Mavis. "And don't worry. If you need any help rebuilding your life, we can all help if you wish."

Molly couldn't hold back her guilt anymore and burst into even more tears as she huffed slightly forward.

"Oh, Emily!" she sobbed. "I can't even imagine the pain you went through! I can NEVER stay angry at you now…I just feel so terrible about saying that I hated you! I should never have said that, and I should have listened to your apology! I take back all those words and I'm more than sorry, Emily. I'd love to be a friend. Please, I don't hate you, I really don't!"

Emily smiled at the yellow engine. "Shh…It's OK, Molly. I was wrong too. I'm truly so sorry for laughing at you on your first day here, and if there's anything I need to do to make up for it, I will gladly do it…please, do you forgive me?"

Molly smiled. Now she knew she could trust her new friend. "Of course, Emily. I understand now. And I don't need anything from you…except hearing all about you." And she gave Emily a wink.

"So, do you all know the real me is back?" Emily asked cheerfully. All the guests whistled and cheered yes. While Edward, Henry and Percy settled in their berths, the guests stayed a while to keep Emily company until they all eventually left and returned to their own parts of the railway…except Molly. She stayed behind so she could get to know Emily a little more and build a good friendship. She decided to spend the night at Tidmouth Sheds as Gordon and James would not be back for quite a while. She settled in the berth beside Emily who was beside Thomas.

"So Emily. How are you doing now after being yourself again?" asked Molly.

"Oh, I think I'll be the happiest engine Sodor will ever see," said Emily. "And so will Thomas. He's very happy too."

By now, Molly had regained some of her concentration. All while Emily was telling her story about her pain, Molly's mind had been spiraling out of control in shock and horror at what James had helped Gordon to do. Now, she wanted to know a little more.

"Emily…" she said. "So you mean to say that Gordon and James did everything to you for four and a half years?"

"Yes, Molly," said Emily.

"I can understand Gordon doing such a thing, being the engine that he is, but I didn't think James could be just as bad," Molly replied. "He just seemed much nicer! Has he done anything else this terrible?"

"I think I know a thing or two about other faults James has caused," said Edward. "Long before Emily came to Sodor, James was still quite problematic. When he first came here, he was painted black and had wooden brake blocks. He always thought those brakes worked fine, but they were very vulnerable to catching fire. He eventually had an accident in which his brakes did set aflame and he was pushed by his trucks right into a field. Since then, he's had proper brakes and a red coat of paint…which I think led him to being so full of himself."

Molly found this rather interesting. She hadn't heard about James' original colour. But she was more worried about him hurting Emily.

"The trouble he caused is very silly," added Henry. "After he let off steam and ruined the Fat Controller's top hat, he was warned of being painted blue if he didn't behave. James behaved even worse, banging the coaches about the yard and pulling them so roughly, the coupling pipe sprung a leak. In the end, he needed newspaper and a bootlace to mend the hole."

Molly couldn't hold back her nerve. She laughed out loud at the thought that a bootlace was needed to help pull a train.

"He may have learned from that mistake," said Thomas. "Even pulling the express quite well after Gordon was switched onto the loop, but he's caused more trouble than that. He would always insult Toby and Henrietta all because they were old-fashioned and just because Edward is the oldest amongst us, James complains he's too slow."

Molly remembered James complaining about the presents train and felt even worse knowing that James was doing such a thing since the start.

"Then," said Henry. "James went on boasting that he was the most useful of all of us and the pride of the line. I can recall that he tricked Thomas into giving him Gordon's express coaches, saying the Fat Controller asked him to tell."

"What he told James was very true. Some jokes are funny, but not that one," said Thomas.

Molly was suddenly figuring everything out. She had made friends with a true mischief-maker.

"Then when I was covered in coal dust and had no time to be repainted or washed, James was boasting again about getting a new coat," said Thomas. "He called me 'not a pleasant sight.' During his repaint, Henry told him that the Fat Controller was checking for trees that could cause trouble to the line, but James thought nothing of it."

"You are a pleasant sight, Thomas," said Molly. "You're a fine tank engine who everyone on Sodor loves to see…James, why?!"

"And of course, you now know what he did to me," concluded Emily. "My truth is that I am a kind, gentle and caring engine and my kindness was never lost. It was pushed to a terrible point which Thomas helped me to retrieve. James' truth…he's just too bad for me to forgive."

Soon, all the engines fell asleep...except Molly. Hearing even more about James made her realize something terrible…Emily had suffered under Gordon and James' tyranny...and one of the culprits was the very engine she had formed a special bond with! An engine who she sympathized with and tried to give some joy to. Never did Molly imagine that James, the engine who showed her so much kindness and care had been shredding Emily apart behind her back…and not admitting it! Everything James had said about Emily…was a lie.

 _"She may seem kind and meaningful on the outside, but inside, she's a devious schemer. And she has been for quite a while. When she first came round, she was truly nice and friendly, but now, she's very fussy..."_

James had lied about why Emily was being unapproachable and he didn't admit he was hurting her and he made Molly fear and hate Emily all the more, for no reason whatsoever! Her mind was spiraling again in shock and feeling hurt as she heard more in her head.

 _"Oh, she's quite bad, Molly. She even rejected Thomas having to sleep with her while our sheds were being rebuilt. He just wanted to tell her progress and ideas to finish the airport, but she just told him to be quiet. She eventually moved in with us, seemingly missing Thomas, but I know she's just trying to trick us all. Never trust her, Molly."_

Hearing the false advice was bad enough, but Molly felt like a complete, silly and easily fooled idiot. She believed James and everything else he advised her to do, she obeyed…but she felt that just made Emily worse until Thomas finally saved her. She had been deceived all this time and she felt used by James. She had a big suspicion that he never cared for her anyway. That he just wanted attention from another lady of the railway.

"He tricked me all this time, and he used me to get joy and attention he never deserved! If I have to crack that ruby for what he did…so be it."

Molly made a decision. She would wait until Gordon and James were back in business. Then she would crack down on her ruby and even leave him if she had to. She decided that until then, she would not talk to him in that siding with Gordon. He would have to wait it out in fear and then have his fears come true. She thought that was the perfect punishment to fit his crime…

The next afternoon, Emily had finished Thomas' branch line run for the day. She was feeling very proud of herself, having been so confident and open with her guests the previous evening. Now she knew that the entire island would understand what she had been through and she didn't need to be afraid of making friends again. As she returned Annie and Clarabel to a siding back in the yards, she saw Molly yet again.

"Hello again, Molly," whistled Emily.

"Hello, Emily," said Molly. "What are you up to at this time?"

"I've just finished another day working on Thomas' branch line…now I'm wondering what to do. As one of my new friends, do you have any ideas?" asked Emily.

Molly felt pleased to hear she was a friend and thought for a moment…then she remembered the Thin Controller attending the story.

"How about you go visit the Skarloey Railway? The Thin Controller came by to hear your story along with the others. Surely he must have told them something to give them some interest in you."

"Splendid idea! I'd like to meet those little engines. See you later, Molly," whistled Emily as she went on her way to the Skarloey Railway.

At the Skarloey Railway, all the Narrow Gauge engines were talking about Emily's story. They had heard plenty from the Thin Controller already.

"It must have been quite an adventure for Emily," said Skarloey.

"I just hope she's doing much better," chuffed Rheneas.

"She must be very brave to go through all that and return to her kindness again," breathed Rusty.

Just then, they all heard a lively whistle. There was Emily coming along to meet the small engines. All the Narrow Gauge Engines looked at her. They had never seen an engine of such grace and beauty before.

"Hello, Emily!" they all whistled together.

"Hello, little ones," smiled Emily. "My goodness, you're certainly small engines. I've heard of Narrow Gauge engines before, but you're all exceptional. You all look very fine."

"Thank you, E-Emily," murmured Peter Sam. "You're a very lovely engine."

"Y-yes…Very good, madam," said Duncan.

Emily smiled at Duncan's awkward approach. "I wondered if the Thin Controller has told you anything about me. He visited me yesterday along with quite a few engines."

"Oh, he has told us plenty about what you said, Emily," said Rheneas. "And I must say, we are all astounded by how your life was transformed on Sodor. But considering that you're happy again…I think you're a gallant engine, just like me."

"R-really?" asked Emily.

"Yes," said Rheneas. "I remember a time long ago when I had to take my passengers home in time to go home. My railway was in danger of closing down if I failed. I had to brave a storm and a jammed valve gear. It was very painful and tough to battle a jam and a storm together, but I knew if I failed, the railway would close. And trust me, with hardships come the rewards. We all understand you've been hurt and tested for four and a half years and I think you are a brilliant engine to explain everything and now everyone thinks you're very special."

Emily felt very touched by the gallant old engine's words. "That's very kind of you to say, Rheneas. I feel like I can enjoy life so much more now."

"Well, I'm sure Thomas is very proud of helping you so much," said Duncan. "Much more helpful than I was when I impatiently worked at the incline railway and ended up falling into a marsh with all my trucks. Shame on me."

Emily giggled lightly. "Sorry to hear, Duncan," she replied. "But yes, Thomas is very proud."

"I wager Gordon and James will start thinking to themselves as well, like I thought about Gordon when he advised me to pretend I was ill, which led Peter Sam into a ghastly accident, cracking his funnel and denting his boiler."

"It's very true, but I've been doing excellently since then," said Peter Sam.

"Oh, those two engines will be thinking alright," said Emily. "Well, it has been a real pleasure meeting all of you and thank you for your time. Have a lovely evening." And she set off for home to enjoy her time at Tidmouth Sheds and keep rebuilding her life.

Over the next few weeks, Thomas eventually went back to business then he and Emily had their dream of kissing after their encounter at the washdown. While that was going on, Molly spent that time, waiting endlessly for Gordon and James' punishment to be over so she could scold James to no end and make him learn some sense. Of course when she heard the news of Thomas' siblings all being scrapped, it made her feel even worse and had a suspicion that Gordon and James would just laugh about it and claim it as silly nonsense, driving her distrust for James even further, and when she heard from Rosie about Thomas' near demise with 'Arry and Bert and how he was rescued, she was indeed shocked by such drama. But she was too focused on getting rid of James to think about that for long…

After a few weeks waiting, the day finally came. Gordon and James were in the out-of-use siding all this time and longed to be put back in service again, when they saw the Fat Controller approach them. He looked at both engines for a few minutes…then he spoke.

"I hope you are both very sorry," he said sternly. "And that you understand the magnitude of agony that your actions summoned upon Emily. It has been several weeks now, and I will let you both return to business…but ONLY if you confirm now you will live up to what I said way back when about respecting all of us equally."

Gordon and James felt that respecting all the others wouldn't be easy, but they knew they'd have to be true to their word. So they both answered.

"We're both more than sorry, sir. We will do our very best to make up for what we did."

"Good," said the Fat Controller. "I should think so too." Within the hour, Gordon and James had the boarding removed from their control panels. They were checked over, oiled and then started up again after several weeks of doing nothing. Naturally, idling in the siding for weeks left them both quite not used to moving regularly.

"Ooh, I'm stiff, I am stiff," Gordon groaned. James said nothing. With being free to work again came a price…would he be able to stop Molly from leaving him and would he be able to fool her once again so she'd think Emily's truth was a tale? All he could do was worry.

The way that day turned out, Emily had been working with Whiff, the smelliest engine Sodor could see. Emily felt awkward and silly working with a Rubbish Engine and tried to avoid him as much as she could. Gordon and James laughed at Whiff and James refused to help Emily with her rubbish train. Even Molly had laughed as Emily and Whiff came by, but she was only laughing at Whiff, not Emily.

Now the evening was closing in. Molly was huffing slowly back to the yards and stopped at a signal, feeling ashamed over laughing at Whiff.

"Emily must feel like I was laughing at her," she whispered. "Perhaps I should apologize…then I can abandon James once and for all." As Molly finished her sentence, she heard distant voices. Emily was crying as she remembered her bad days after being laughed at with Whiff, and Thomas was reassuring her that she was never a bad engine. Then Thomas made his offer for a date.

"Also, I can cheer you up, Emily. Would you like a date?" Hearing this made Emily's spirits perk right up and she smiled again.

"I'd love a date with you, Thomas," she said. "Where to?"

"I have a new destination in mind," said Thomas. "Follow me."

Soon, Molly saw Thomas and Emily huffing side-by-side on their way to Arlesburgh Harbour for their date to cheer Emily up.

 _"It's now or never,"_ she thought. "Emily?" she called. "I'm sorry for laughing today! I wasn't laughing at you…it was Whiff. Tell him I'm sorry."

"It's OK, Molly. I knew you weren't laughing at me," called Emily. "And Whiff is alright too." And she huffed on beside Thomas.

Molly waited a while until they were out of hearing range. She had made her own choice. She was now ready to crack down on James and abandon him for all he had did to Emily and for deceiving his Shining Sun. She waited a while longer as she knew he still had a few jobs to finish. As evening began to fall, she saw James in the distance, looking a little nervous. He knew of the possibility that Molly would have eventually learned everything, but in his own desperation, he had planned another bluff to tell as advice, but it would not work this time. He eventually saw Molly approaching him with a frown.

"Ahh. Hello, Molly," he said casually. But Molly didn't smile. She kept her glare on and focused right on James.

"What gives?" asked James. Molly didn't answer.

"Come on, this isn't about me laughing at the smelly Whiff, is it?" asked James. "I truly wanted to see you, Molly. The Fat Controller just wouldn't let me, the silly man. Now, give me a smile, my Shining-"

"James the Red Engine!" Molly said with utmost anger. "You are, no doubt, the most conniving, sneaky and terrible engine I've ever met! You may have given me a lot of joy in my life, but little did I know of what you really are underneath your false radiance! Several weeks ago, after Thomas saved Emily, many engines from around Sodor, even myself, came to the sheds to hear Emily's story. She told us every little detail of what happened and why she changed her ways…and I now see she was NEVER to blame."

"Oh, Molly," said James, trying to sound caring. "Don't be silly. Emily hasn't changed one bit. It's all a tall tale and-"

"QUIET!" snapped Molly. "It's NOT a tall tale! The Fat Controller knows it's the truth! Alongside, Gordon, YOU were the real monster! For no reason, towards Emily, you were unlikable, mean, conceited, loud, deceitful and just downright uncaring! I cannot BELIEVE what a nasty beast you really are! You boast, rant and rave to the other engines almost non-stop about your red paint and how you're the 'pride of the line'! Thomas even told me that you were a naughty scrap pile before Emily ever came along! You insulted Toby and Henrietta all because they were old-fashioned, you ordered Duck about, causing a disturbance and you stole Gordon's express coaches, thinking it was a joke!"

James closed his eyes in shame and fear as Molly kept yelling.

"Well, just like the Fat Controller told you back then, I'll say it again for what you did to Emily: Some jokes are funny, but not this one, James! You tried everything in your power alongside Gordon to destroy Emily as much as you could until she thought that being nasty and mean herself would help. From now on, she is not responsible for laughing at me first thing…YOU pushed her to that point, hence YOU made her laugh at me! YOU made me hate her for nothing and made her suffer all the more! You should have protected Emily from Gordon like a real friend, but you took your other chance and SMASHED her joy to pieces, you MONSTER!"

James' heart was sinking fast as he heard Molly's words. But Molly didn't stop. She had much more to get out of her smokebox.

"When I first met you," she went on. "You did look out for me…but even when I was helping you get over your jealousy, I wondered what your flaws were. Why do you always try to shove yourself into spotlight and make everyone around you think you're the best instead of thinking about what they really think?! You broke Emily's heart, you constantly mock Edward all because he's old, and all you want to pull is shiny coaches just to look perfect! I don't like any engine who is this mean and has no heart for his own friends, James the Red Engine!"

"But-" James began.

"When Emily told us the entire story," snapped Molly. "I was drawn to tears by how much pain she was given for no reason…by Gordon and YOU! Gordon may have started the whole mess from the beginning, but you still helped him as much as you could to see Emily be hurt even more!"

"But-" James said again.

"You lied, James! You lied to Thomas, you lied to the Steam Team, you lied to ME…and like a fool, I believed you! I have never felt so ridiculous and silly to fall for your tricks! I now have the sensation that I don't know you anymore!"

"I was afraid…" James said quietly. "We met while Emily was still suffering, so I was afraid of the truth and losing any chance I would have had with you…and I guess I took advantage of the fact that you were sensitive to what she said. I only told you what I said because of your terrible mood on your first day…but I really do care for you, Molly. I really do…is there anything I can do to help now?"

At first Molly said nothing, staring hard and angrily at her Ruby. Then she spoke.

"I want you to leave me, James. I am done! I don't EVER want to see you in my presence again! This relationship is over and done for!" And with that unhappy farewell, she stormed away in a blast of steam.

James could not have felt worse. He was having quite a fun relationship with Molly. She had given him some chance of being a better engine, and gave him so much laughter compared to what he used to have, but now he had lost her and he brought it upon himself by helping Gordon torture Emily so badly. His life wasn't bright and carefree anymore. It had turned into one that was lonely and unforgiving, depressing and in vain. He began to wish he never hurt Emily in the first place, and he began to wish he protected her.

"Oh, dear Lord," he moaned to himself. "What am I to do? …oh, what a pity I didn't stop that 'Galloping Sausage' when I had the chance!"

When he returned to Tidmouth Sheds, the other engines were already asleep. Thomas and Emily had come back from their date at Arlesburgh and were asleep too. James had wanted the sheds to be empty, but at least with all the engines asleep, he didn't need to talk to anyone either. He turned round to his berth in complete silence and backed in, tears of distraught trailing down his face in silence.

James felt as though his boiler froze up and his wheels crumbled as he cried silently all through the night. He had just lost his Shining Sun and would no longer have anything to shine his clouds away. He was once a Radiant Ruby as Molly called him, but now that ruby was officially cracked…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, Thomas and Emily both stared at James as he kept his eyes shut and tried to hold back his despair. Telling his friends exactly how he lost her was the worst part of having to retell his relationship and how it crumbled away. James tried his very best not to cry, but his efforts were all in vain. His barriers fell and his tears escaped his eyes. Seeing James cry made both Thomas and Emily's hearts flip. They had never seen him like this.

"M-Molly…" James strained through his breaking voice. "I'm sorry!"

Emily suddenly felt very sad for James. Then she got an idea. Just like Percy viewed her as a mother, maybe she could make James view her like an older sister. She looked over to her crying little brother.

"Shh…James," she soothed. "It's alright…it'll be alright. Your sister's right here. We're sticking right by you until Molly forgives you."

"Th-Thank you, Emily," James whimpered. He just cried as much as he had to while Emily kept telling him it would be alright. Soon, his tears managed to stop as he got some of his sadness out of his system.

"You were very brave to tell us the toughest part, James," Emily said kindly. "You were very brave indeed."

"Look at the bright side, James. The worst part is over," said Thomas. "Is it easier from here?"

James thought for a moment, then felt even stronger.

"Yes, Thomas. The worst part is over. From here on out until my story is completely finished, it shall be about when I made my efforts to redeem myself and getting her back," he said.

"That'll be very nice to hear, James," said Emily. "Goodnight. Sweet dreams, Thomas."

"Sweet dreams, Emily and James," said Thomas.

"You too," said James as the three engines fell asleep, looking forward to talking more about James' mission to redeem himself the next evening.

* * *

Well that didn't take as long as I thought it would, although I hate to say this, but this story may have to be put on hiatus for a while, a lot of stuff is happening, I'm finishing my Art course very soon at the end of this month, which speaking off I only just realized it's April 1st, so happy April Fools Day, I guess. So as usual folks, please give us your thoughts in your reviews and bare with us for the next chapter.


	5. Scarlet Redemption

Thomas and Emily were back in Knapford Sheds yet again. The previous evening, James had told the hardest part of his story about how he lost Molly upon her learning the truth about Emily. Now, he was due to talk about his mission to redemption…but Thomas and Emily couldn't see him coming. They had been waiting for a few minutes.

"What's holding him, Thomas?" asked Emily.

"Maybe he's still feeling sensitive from yesterday, telling us about when Molly left him," clarified Thomas. "Perhaps we should excuse his lateness."

"I suppose you're right," agreed Emily. "He's sure to be still hurting deeply inside." Presently, James showed up and backed in between the two engines again.

"Hello, James," said Emily. "Are you OK?"

"I guess," said James. "I was just feeling low after telling you how I lost Molly."

"We understand, James," said Thomas. "But now, like you said yesterday, the worst part is over. Are you ready to tell us about how you tried getting her back?"

"Yes," said James, feeling slightly better. "Well…now it begins. My mission for redemption."

"This could be interesting, Tommy," said Emily.

"I agree, Emily," said Thomas. "Please tell us, James."

"Very well, you two," said James. "I shall tell you about my path to redemption…"

* * *

It was a cloudy morning. Not much sunlight shone through the clouds. James had been crying in silence and didn't sleep all night. By now, his eyes were pink and dry. Only the previous evening, Molly had let out all her displeasure on James after he had lied to her about how Emily was a bad engine. When she first came to Sodor, she and James had started a fair relationship that went well at first, then James, or Molly's Radiant Ruby was cracked.

James looked at the cloudy sky, feeling like his world was spiraling out of control. His feelings were so hurt from the previous evening, he felt like he couldn't see straight. He didn't know if it was because he hadn't slept all night or because of losing Molly, but his vision was blurry and distorted and he could still hear her voice ringing in his head.

 _"I want you to leave me, James. I am done! I don't EVER want to see you in my presence again! This relationship is over and done for!_ "

That was the worst day of James' life. Even worse than when his brakes set aflame and he crashed into a field, or when he ran into those tar wagons. And yet through it all, he suddenly felt something within him. A small ray of hope that maybe he could get Molly back. It would certainly take time, but the chance was there.

 _"I can't be brought any lower than I am now,"_ he thought to himself. _"I can't go down anymore, I can only go up from here…what have I got to lose?"_

James thought and thought…harder than he ever thought before. Then suddenly, it came to him.

 _"I've got it,"_ he thought to himself. _"However long it takes, I'll do my very best, truly, to be responsible, reliable and really useful. Molly will see what good I can truly be. I'll do it for my own greater good. Bad image or no image, trucks or no trucks, I'm gonna get her back. It may not be easy after everything Gordon and I put Emily through, but I'm gonna please Molly for real."_

Right now, James was very tired and beginning to feel cranky since he had spent the entire night in tears, unable to sleep, but he didn't care.

 _"Pleasing Molly comes first,"_ he thought. _"I'll get a better sleep tonight."_ Then James set off, weary, but determined. When he arrived at Knapford Station, the Fat Controller was waiting for him. He could see James' current state and began to wonder.

"James, whatever happened to you?" he asked.

"Rough night, sir," said James. "But I still want to be really useful. What service may I do today?"

"You've got plenty of trucks to take to the Coaling Plant," said the Fat Controller. "Then you must gather a shipment of crates from the docks."

"Very well, sir," said James. "And do please let me know if there are other ways I can be really useful."

The Fat Controller was somewhat perplexed by James' request, but agreed. "Of course, James," he answered.

With that, James set to work to try and please Molly. He carefully and calmly gathered his coal trucks together, shunting them together all into one long goods train. Although he really disliked pulling trucks and wanted to pull coaches, he didn't care. If he stood any chance to get Molly's heart back, he'd do anything he needed to, enjoying it or not, to achieve that wish. The trucks were also surprised by how careful he was as he shunted them about. They all expected James to be bumping them all over the yards. As such, they didn't bump him back or play any tricks.

"Off we go now," said James. "Lots to do, very busy and really useful." So he set off with his goods train. All the way, the trucks played no tricks, satisfied that they weren't bumped about first thing. On his way, James felt even more tired from lack of sleep. He was feeling impatient and grumpy underneath, but he knew he had to make a good impression for Molly. Soon, he stopped at a junction with a red signal. Molly was coming down the other track. James tried to greet her as a head start.

"Good morning, Molly!" he whistled. Molly said nothing and looked away as she passed by. James' signal went green and he set off again. He had a feeling his efforts wouldn't work the first time, so he wasn't disappointed.

 _"I didn't expect her to greet me anyway,"_ he thought. _"I'll have to do more than that."_

James continued on his way until he arrived at the Coaling Plant. His trucks were soon filled with coal for him to deliver to the coal hoppers along the line. James worked faster, thinking that getting work done with time to spare would be a chance to impress Molly. He stopped at every coal hopper he had to for the day, but didn't see Molly. The bright sun was starting to get to him and his tired eyes and he tried to cope with it. Once all the coal was delivered, James remembered he had to go to the docks to gather the shipment of crates, so he hurried on his way.

At the docks, James arrived in time to see Cranky unloading the crates from the ship. From lack of sleep, however, James was becoming as cranky as Cranky.

"Cranky!" called James. "Come along! I need to deliver those crates!"

"All in good time! Keep your funnel on!" Cranky cranked as he lowered his load down so the workmen could help load the crates into James' trucks. James' eyes were really starting to hurt now under the bright sun and his eyelids felt like lead, threatening to shut. His trucks were loaded before he knew it, but…

"James? …James!" his driver called. James had fallen asleep for a moment and woke up with a start.

"I'm so sorry, are we ready to go?" he said groggily.

"Yes, James. We are," said his driver.

James wearily, but usefully went on his way. He was very tired now, but he kept going. He over or undershot the platform by a yard or two at a few stations but was quick to correct himself. Once all the crates were delivered, James returned to Knapford Station to see if there was anything else he could do to be really useful and impress Molly. Luckily, the Fat Controller was on the platform again.

"James," he said. "How is your progress today?"

"All my deliveries are done, sir," said James. "Is there anything else I can do to be of service?"

"If you're willing to," said the Fat Controller. "It would really help if you could arrange Gordon and Henry's coaches for when they come to gather their passengers tomorrow morning."

"Really sir?" asked James. "I thought that was Thomas' job."

"He's busy on his Branch Line still," said the Fat Controller. "But you'll be a great help if those coaches are arranged."

"What becomes of trucks?" asked James. "Can I arrange any goods trains?"

"Well, Molly has a heavy load to collect tomorrow. It would save her some trouble if she could just come along and take the trucks from here."

James perked up at hearing Molly. _"Aha,"_ he thought to himself. _"There's an idea."_

"Of course, sir," said James. "I'd be happy to do that." And the Fat Controller left. James looked about the yard and could see there was plenty to do. Plenty of coaches and trucks were lying all around the yard in different sidings and on different tracks.

"Well, this lot needs some organizing," said James. "I'll soon put that right." And James got to work, arranging all the trains for the next morning. He arranged Henry's coaches on one platform, then Gordon's express coaches on the platform next to Henry's.

"The passengers will be impressed with this. They'll say this is a good railway," said James. "And hopefully Molly will appreciate my courtesy." He then gathered several trucks together and placed them on another platform for Molly to collect in the morning.

Just then, Edward came by and was quite surprised to see Knapford Station and the yards completely organized and all the trains arranged.

"Goodness me," said Edward. "Who did all this?"

"I did," said James. "I just got this feeling of wanting to do so much."

Edward looked all around the yards. He was quite impressed by what he saw. He thought that Thomas would have done this, just like he had to when he first arrived on Sodor, but knowing that James had done all this was a surprise.

"I don't know what's come over me, Edward," said James. "I just really wanted to do so much."

When Edward looked at James, he suddenly saw his tired state. Evening was setting in anyway and James' eyes were very pink now and he let off a long hiss of steam. He could barely keep his eyes open now and he looked like he couldn't stay awake any longer.

"James…did you sleep at all last night?" asked Edward.

"Not a wink," groaned James. "Just had my mind so occupied," he said, hiding any facts about Molly before yawning loudly again. It was plain to see; James really needed to sleep now.

"James," urged Edward. "You look very spent. Go take some rest. You need it."

"Alright, Edward," croaked James. "I was looking forward to a blissful sleep tonight anyway." With that, he set off slowly and gently for the sheds.

James returned to his berth in Tidmouth Sheds. He felt like he was off to a good start. Molly may not have been impressed with his efforts today, but there was so much he could do and be to try getting her back. Despite having no sleep the previous night and despite getting little to no progress on winning Molly back so far, he didn't feel grumpy. If anything, he had a great sense of satisfaction and feeling good about himself. For once, he actually enjoyed doing more work than he usually did. He was also assured that he could do so much more for Molly. Maybe she'd eventually take notice and at least acknowledge some of his good deeds.

"Well," murmured James. "Today has been quite an event. Molly may not have listened to me or saw what I did today, but I understand how she feels. It's not gonna come quickly. Time will tell."

With that, James finally shut his eyes and fell into a profound, comfortable, deep sleep. He was certainly off to a decent start, actually wanting to do work, even if it didn't suit his interests. He had managed to help out for the next day so the engines would be ready. But there was still much more to come over quite a period of time…

* * *

Thomas and Emily were both astounded by James' resourcefulness back then.

"Goodness, James. It sounds like you were really making a good impression from the start," said Emily.

"Thanks, Emily," replied James. "For once, I felt good actually doing work."

"I see that Molly didn't take much notice from your first impressions, James," said Thomas. "What happened next?"

"A few months later was when another opportunity presented itself for me…" and James continued on with his story…

* * *

After working very hard with little sleep, James felt like he was off to a decent start in winning Molly's heart back, even if she barely noticed. He was willing to press on through anything. A few months after working so hard in one day, James had to prove more of his worth…

One morning, Thomas, Percy and Emily were at Tidmouth Sheds. James arrived. He had been to the fitter's yard for repairs. He was excited to get back to work. "I hope I get an important job today!" he wheeshed.

The Fat Controller arrived. "I need an engine for a special," he boomed. "The Mayor must be taken to the Festival of Lights at the Scottish Castle."

Hearing this gave James another ray of hope in impressing Molly. In spite of his previous efforts on getting her back not working, he felt very confident this morning.

"I'm the perfect engine for that job, sir!" he whistled.

"Very well, James," said the Fat Controller. James was delighted.

"Thomas, Emily and Percy," added the Fat Controller. "If you finish your jobs in time, you can all go to the Festival too."

"I can't wait to see the festival!" peeped Percy.

"Neither can I!" wheeshed Emily.

"You'll be the star of the show, James," tooted Thomas. That made James very happy. He couldn't wait to make a grand entrance. And he also hoped Molly would take notice of this too.

"We have lots of jobs to do first," peeped Percy.

"You haven't anything to do all day, James," wheeshed Emily. "Could you help us?"

"ME?!" Snorted James. "I can't help! It's much more important for me to look very smart when I arrive with my important passenger!" and James puffed proudly away to the washdown...but secretly, James was only trying to look smart for Molly. He feared she'd ignore him further if he ended up in a dirty situation. Meanwhile, Thomas, Percy and Emily were rather annoyed.

"Big red show-off!" snorted Percy.

"What's so important to him?! He's not as smart as he looks to me!" wheeshed Emily.

"We'll have to work hard to see the festival," said Thomas. "But James should be helping us! No job is more important than helping another engine!" With that, the three engines went on their way to try and get through their jobs.

At the washdown, James was very happy. He enjoyed having his boiler brushed and his cab cleaned.

"Taking this important passenger is sure to make Molly see my importance," he murmured to himself. "And she may like my exceptional cleanliness!" As he basked in his bliss, he started to daydream…

 _Molly was at the Scottish Castle, enjoying the Festival of Lights…when James came along, looking more splendid than ever before. He was covered in flags, his buffers were polished and his paintwork shone against the lights. As he stopped at the platform, the Mayor stepped out of his important coach. Molly was beaming with pride at James._

 _"How do I look, Molly? Pretty impressive, huh?" grinned the red engine._

 _"Oh, James," Molly swooned. "You couldn't look more perfect than you do now…my Radiant Ruby." She carefully huffed forward and buffered up to James. She smiled happily and began to pucker her lips. James could not believe what he saw. He began to pucker too…_

Suddenly, James' daydream was ended by a high whistle. Percy stopped by on his way to the quarry.

"I still have lots of work to do," he puffed. "Can you help me, James?"

"Sorry, Percy," sniffed James. "It's much more important that I look smart. Now, I need to be polished." As Percy wearily continued on his way, James grumbled to himself.

"That little imp! He spoiled a very lovely vision. I can't help them today! I have to do this for Molly!"

Soon, James was being polished until he shone. "Don't forget to buff up my buffers," he tooted happily. Thomas puffed up with a long line of coal trucks.

"Those trucks look troublesome!" laughed James.

"They are!" tooted Thomas. "Can you help me, James?"

"Sorry, Thomas!" cried James. "I need to look smart for my passengers! Now, I have to get my funnel swept!"

As his funnel was being swept, James smelt a fishy smell. "Bust my buffers!" he cried. "What's that?!"

It was Emily. She was pulling fish trucks very slowly. "These are very heavy. Can you help me, James?" she puffed.

"I need to have some special flags fitted!" sniffed James. "They'll make me look smart when I arrive at the Festival."

Emily kept on her way. She was very annoyed now. "Trust him to be a friend!" she huffed angrily to herself. "He just wants to look perfect out of his own greed and dishonesty!" Emily hauled harder and harder along the line. Just thinking about James not helping her made her train seem even heavier. As she struggled to haul her load, she met Molly.

"Hello, Emily," said Molly. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know, Molly," said Emily. "It's these trucks full of fish! They are so terribly heavy!"

"Don't you need help?" asked Molly.

"I would have loved some help from James…but he's too conceited to help anyone. He just wants to bring the Mayor to the Festival of Lights! If I don't finish my work, I won't be able to see the festival!"

Molly heard what Emily said about James and the Mayor. Of course, anything to do with the Mayor of Sodor is important and she would have been proud of her former ruby being given such an honor, but seeing how he had no interest in helping his friends, Molly still saw no good in James and refused to believe he was really sorry for hurting Emily and lying to his sun. Suddenly, her line turned and she was off down her track while Emily kept on with her load.

"Bye, Molly!" called Emily.

"Bye, Emily, and good luck!" whistled Molly. When Emily was out of sight, Molly was now fuming to herself.

"I might have known that James had something to do with this!" she huffed. "That stuffy fool! I wish I never met him! His friends might not make it to the festival because of this! Well, he can just brag on and have no friends for all I care!"

At last, James was ready. His flags were fitted, his buffers beamed, and his paintwork shone from funnel to footplate. He was sure that he would grab Molly's eye now. Everyone he passed cheered and waved.

"I'm the smartest engine ever!" James puffed proudly. Then as he glided along the line, he saw Molly coming down the other track. He tried to make his daydream become real.

"How do I look, Molly? Pretty impressive, huh?" he called. Molly heard James and immediately frowned. She said nothing and blew steam loudly at him as he flew past her. Now, James was just beginning to feel the disappointment. He understood that getting Molly back wouldn't be easy, but if she couldn't be impressed by how he looked, what would impress her?

On the way to collect the Mayor, James passed the Scottish Castle. It looked wonderful. Everyone was ready for the Festival and the Fat Controller was waiting…but there were no engines. James was surprised.

"Where are Thomas, Percy and Emily?" he asked with shock.

"They haven't finished their work yet," boomed the Fat Controller. "So they won't be here for the Festival." James felt terrible!

 _"What was I thinking?!"_ he thought to himself. _"Why didn't I help them earlier?! And Molly…dear, oh dear!"_ But James' desire to win Molly back gave him another idea to boost his mission of redemption. Perhaps if he helped all his friends finish their work so they could attend the festival, Molly might see some good in that.

"I must help my friends, otherwise, they won't be here to see me be the star of the show!" And he dashed off to find them as quickly as possible. As he remembered being so resentful of their needs, he feared even more about his chances with Molly. He really feared for his mission of redemption and hoped he didn't lose all his chances. All he could do was hold onto faith. Eventually, James found Thomas. He was still having trouble with his coal trucks.

"I'm gonna miss the festival," he sighed sadly.

"No you're not!" puffed James. "Because I'm going to help you!" And James did. James buffered up and he helped. Even though he got covered in coal dust. James feared the Fat Controller would be cross about this, but his thoughts about Molly kept him going and he didn't care about getting dirty.

 _"For Molly…for my Shining Sun,"_ he thought. Soon, Thomas' coal trucks were delivered and Thomas could now make it in time for the Festival.

"Thank you, James," he whistled.

"My pleasure!" smiled James as he went to find the next engine to help. Next, James found Percy in the quarry. Percy was struggling to pull the quarry trucks.

"I'm gonna miss the festival," Percy puffed sadly.

"No you're not!" puffed James. "Because I'm going to help you!" and James did, even though he got covered in quarry dust.

 _"Keep going, James. Keep going!"_ he thought to himself. _"Bother what the Fat Controller may say. I hate getting dirty, but I can't take any chances if I'm to get Molly back!"_ The quarry trucks were delivered in good time and now Percy could go to the festival as well.

"Thanks, James!" he peeped.

"You're welcome, Percy!" called James. Then James found Emily at the junction.

"I can't pull the fish trucks any further, James. They're too heavy! I'm gonna miss the festival," she sighed sadly.

"No you're not!" puffed James. "Because I'm going to help you!" And James did, even though he knew he would be covered in smelly fish.

As she was helped on her way, Emily felt pleased and irritated at the same time. She was pleased that she'd see the festival after all, but also irritated by James helping her now after boasting so much about being smart. James, in turn felt uneasy helping Emily. He still had inner wounds from everything he and Gordon had put her through and his heart flipped within him. Helping the engine he hurt so much did make him relive Molly dumping him on that awful evening, but he was too determined to give up now. He couldn't get Molly out of his mind. He pushed and huffed Emily's fish trucks all across the island until at long last, they were delivered too. Emily was quite relieved to escape the smell of fish and also very happy that she could make it in time for the Festival.

"Thomas and Percy will be waiting for you at the Scottish Castle, Emily," said James.

"You…you helped them too?" Emily asked.

"Of course," said James. "I've come to learn that helping friends comes first. I couldn't possibly enjoy the festival without friends to join me! I just didn't want to disgrace the Mayor over looking so dirty…but now I guess I have to collect him in my current state anyway."

Emily almost laughed, but withstood as she went on her way to find Thomas and Percy, while James went to find the Mayor.

"Oh dear," he muttered. "The Mayor will surely be cross over an engine as dirty as me escorting him to the castle!" But James still really wanted to impress Molly. He knew she was likely not to appreciate his hard work after he tried the day after losing her, but he was also hoping against hope that she would take any notice this time.

Emily, meanwhile had met Thomas and Percy back at the yards. Molly was slowly passing by, but none of the engines seemed to notice.

"Emily, you made it!" whistled Thomas.

"How did you manage to finish?" peeped Percy.

"James came to help me," said Emily. "But…he doesn't look very smart now."

"What do you mean?" asked Thomas.

"He's covered in coal dust, quarry dust and fish," said Emily. "Surely, the Mayor won't like his current state."

"But he still helped us," said Thomas. "He helped me the rest of the way with my coal trucks."

"And my quarry trucks," added Percy.

"I know. He told me…small wonder why he looked so filthy," said Emily. Molly had heard everything as she passed by and couldn't help but take note of what James did.

"He helped his friends after all," she murmured. "So they will make it to the Festival…but that's not good enough!" she finished angrily to herself. "He still opened his gob and boasted so much at them and refused to help just so he could look perfect! You can't spend an entire day boasting, then suddenly help all your friends right after. That's not the way it works! I am staying away from him!" And Molly steamed away to enjoy herself for the evening.

Thomas, Emily and Percy all made their way to the Scottish Castle, feeling happy about their fortunate turn of events. At the Scottish Castle, the Brass Band was waiting. A red carpet was ready and so were Thomas, Percy and Emily. They were all waiting for James to arrive with his important passenger.

"Here comes James," tooted Thomas. Everyone cheered as James arrived with the Mayor, but James was worried. After helping his friends, he didn't look smart at all, and he certainly didn't feel like the star of the show.

"James," said the Fat Controller. "You are a very hard working, and really useful engine."

James was amazed. "You're not cross with me, sir? Even though my flags are dripping and I'm covered in coal dust and quarry dust and fish?!"

"What matters, James," said the Fat Controller, "is that you helped all your friends and safely delivered your important passenger. Well done!"

James was very happy. And his friends all thought that James was still the star of the show. But deep down inside, James still wondered. If the Fat Controller was proud of him, surely Molly would take notice. He wondered about this the entire time the Festival was on. During that time, he watched and listened for any sign of Molly, but there was none. At last, the Festival was done and the Mayor was ready to be returned to Knapford Station. James took him there smoothly and carefully, with his mind still very full about Molly.

After the Mayor was on his way home from the station, James set out to find her and try to explain himself…

Molly was idling by herself at Maron Station. She was thinking about Thomas, Percy and Emily.

"Well, they made it to the Festival of Lights," she murmured. "Thank goodness for that. I wish I could have joined them…but I know exactly what…or WHO prevented me!" Molly was of course referring to James. She wanted nothing more to do with him and she only thought his attempts to gain her attention were so that he could lie to her again. Suddenly, she smelt a foul scent in the air. One of coal dust, quarry dust and rotting fish. And sure enough, she heard James coming up from behind her.

"Hey…M-Molly?" James tried. "Listen…I came to-"

"Ew! Fish! FISH!" spluttered Molly. "Don't even try!" And she steamed off as fast as her wheels would turn to get away from his horrible odor.

"Molly! Molly, come back!" pleaded James, but it did no good. Molly was soon out of sight and gone. James sighed miserably.

"What's to do?" he asked himself. "The Fat Controller was still pleased with me despite my dirty appearance…why couldn't she appreciate me helping my friends? I may have bragged about the Mayor, but I struggle with important duties…please, Molly…"

James briefly thought about forgetting everything and letting her go, but something wouldn't let him give up. He felt like Molly wanted him to give up. If he gave up, fair enough, she would win and stay away from him forever. But maybe he was missing something. Maybe her appreciation for his efforts were very small. James decided that he would never give up. As long as he kept trying, she'd eventually have to notice. If he continued to show determination, strength and desire to do good, his chances would surely get better and better…

* * *

Thomas and Emily had listened and were both quite interested.

"So you were still trying to push on, despite Molly not taking notice…" said Emily.

"Yes. I kept going," said James. "There's more to it though. I almost had a good chance with her that very winter…she was right beside me…"

"Beside you?" asked Thomas. "Tell us…"

* * *

It turned out that same winter, James had a close interaction with Molly, even though she really disapproved of it. It started when Henry made good time with his train with no blocked lines and made all his deliveries on time while the other engines conflicted over slippery tracks and blocked lines. Thomas had said that maybe Henry had lucky trucks. Since Henry and Thomas were the only ones in Tidmouth Sheds that evening, Henry believed that maybe his trucks brought him good luck. He was sure he'd be really useful as long as he held onto those trucks. But the next morning, when Henry went to the yard, his lucky trucks weren't there.

"Oh, no," chuffed Henry. "Where are my lucky trucks?"

"Edward took them," Puffed Thomas. "He needed to take coal to the villages."

Then the Fat Controller arrived at the yard. "Henry, I've got a very important special for you," said the Fat Controller. "A delivery of presents has arrived at the Airport. You must collect them and take them to the children in the villages." Henry went on his way, feeling worried. Soon afterwards, James came by to get his assignment from the Fat Controller.

"James, you must collect pipes from the Ironworks," said the Fat Controller.

"Yes sir," said James as he set off on his way. But James was not so lucky as Henry was with his trucks. Every now and then, James slipped and slid along the icy rails and his driver had to check the speed carefully. Luckily, James arrived at the Ironworks in good time and collected the pipes. They were quite heavy and weren't easy to pull. James became concerned that he might end up in another accident like he did with Edward when he wanted to take the Presents Train.

Meanwhile, Henry puffed to the Airport. But soon he was in trouble. Gordon's Hill was very icy. Every time Henry tried to puff up the hill, he slid back down again. "I need my lucky trucks back," Henry huffed. "I can't make my deliveries without them."

Back on the main line, James' concerns had come true. The heavy pipes pushed him along the icy tracks and his driver had to try hard to keep James steady. Then there was trouble! Up ahead, a cow had escaped from it farm and broke down one of the fences and wandered onto the line. James' driver applied the brakes, but the sudden change made the pipes lurch around on the flatbeds. James skidded and screeched to a stop just in time. The jerk caused the flatbed's chain to brake loose and pipes scattered everywhere across the line next to James. This gave the cow a fright and it ran back into it's field.

"Oh dear," said his driver. "We'll need Rocky, fast. Henry can't be late to collect those presents!" James' driver phoned the Yard Manager.

"Right away," said the Yard Manager. Rocky was ready to help, but there was only one engine in the yards to bring him to the accident…Molly.

"Molly," said the Yard Manager. "A train of pipes has come off the line. Can you bring Rocky there?"

"Of course," said Molly. "I'd be glad to help." But Molly would soon eat her words. She huffed carefully along the line with Rocky, looking for the accident. Soon enough, she saw the scattered pipes up ahead.

"We're here, Rocky. We're…oh no," she said quietly. As she slowed down and stopped, she saw that James was the one with the scattered pipes. Now Molly was very annoyed and regretted taking Rocky out.

"Molly?" said James. "You've come to-"

"I have nothing to say to you!" Molly snapped. "Please clear these pipes as quick as you can, Rocky." Rocky got straight to work. Suddenly, Molly heard a whistle, and Henry puffed up the line. He had been searching for his lucky trucks after a snow slide blocked his way. He saw the pipes across the track. They too were blocking his way. Molly got rid of her frown and pretended to look pleasant because Henry was there.

"I thought you were collecting presents," chuffed Molly.

"You're supposed to be at the Airport!" snorted James.

"Edward has my lucky trucks," Whistled Henry. "I must find them."

"Don't worry," Called Rocky. "I'll have the line cleared in no time.

Henry waited sadly as Rocky lifted the pipes from the tracks. Then he chuffed on to find Edward and his lucky trucks. As soon as Henry was out of sight, Molly turned to James.

"No one told me YOU were the one with the accident!" she whispered. "If it were up to me, James, I would have just left you here to be delayed! Now your pipes are ready to go again. Don't make me come back out here for you. Let's go, Rocky!" And she and Rocky huffed off without another word. James felt very bad. His Shining Sun had come for him, but not intentionally. It was not a really nice way to meet up with her, but he didn't start moping. As he continued on with his pipes, he kept his courage and decided to keep trying…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, Emily felt sad for the red engine.

"Oh, James," said Emily. "I'm so sorry. You worked with her and she absolutely hated it underneath?"

"Yes," said James. "But it wasn't over yet. After Great Waterton was discovered, I tried to find another opportunity the next winter…"

* * *

Great Waterton was discovered and refurbished. Stanley came along Sodor and made friends with all the engines, even Thomas. But James kept struggling on to get Molly back. He didn't see much chance for some time. After helping his friends for the Festival of Lights, Molly still wasn't impressed, especially with how James bragged so much the whole day then suddenly helped his friends right after. It didn't seem right to her. But what came next was yet another hope for James. It was winter on the Island of Sodor. Thomas, Stanley and James were working at the yards. They were shunting trains to take to Great Waterton. They had to arrive on time. Stanley watched James shunting his trucks. They jiggled and giggled. James quickly biffed and bashed his trucks into line. Doing such work made him feel good. It reminded him of when he worked so hard when he first started his redemption mission and it helped him rise above his previous disappointment when he helped Thomas, Percy and Emily.

Soon, James had finished arranging his train and reversed alongside Stanley.

"You're the best biffer I've ever seen," said Stanley.

"Eh, that was nothing!" blurted James. "See how easily I can shunt Heavy Hector!" Hector was a large truck who once frightened and bumped Bill and Ben around. When he scared Rosie away, Thomas finally stood up to him and bumped him right off the tracks, but Hector explained that he was only afraid of being filled with coal and was a friendly, good-natured truck since then. James collected Hector. Stanley watched as James shunted Hector to the back of his train. Snow started to fall. Thomas and Stanley watched as James got ready to take his train.

"I'm ready to leave. I'll see you both in Great Waterton," said James.

"It's starting to snow, James," said Hector. "You should check the weather with the Yard Manager."

James didn't want to be told what to do by a truck, especially in front of Thomas and Stanley. He knew too well that weather had its risks in winter, but he wanted to brave the weather and see if Molly would take any notice. And as he remembered having such a wonderful sleep after he began his mission some time ago, he thought he could feel such a way again after braving such weather.

"Maybe she'll like my perseverance in this weather, pushing through snow drifts and braving icy tracks," he thought. So he made his point to Hector quite clear, but rebelliously.

"I'll decide what we do! The weather doesn't bother me!" So James buffered up to his train and steamed slowly out of the yards. James huffed through the countryside. The snow was getting heavier. James stopped at a signal. Harold swooshed in.

"There's bad weather all over the island! It's hard to see the tracks!" called Harold.

"Then we'd better go through Henry's Tunnel," suggested Hector. James sniffed. He didn't want to be told what to do by a truck, especially in front of Harold.

"I'll decide what we do! We'll take the track through Shen Valley! It's the quickest way!" The signal changed and James puffed away, pushing his train. James arrived at the Shen Valley junction. Now the snow was very thick. It made it hard for James to see ahead. The wind was bitingly cold and James' face was slowly but surely beginning to feel numb, but he kept going, determined to prove his point. As he pushed through the thick snowfall, he caught of a glimpse of something yellow coming down the other track. Molly was huffing through the snow too with a goods train of her own.

"Molly? Molly!" James called above the wind's howl. "Help! Stop! Where am I?" Molly just barely heard James above the wind, but rebuffed him again. She pushed on past him without a word.

"Foolish engine! Trying to show off in a blizzard!" she huffed.

But the cracked ruby wasn't trying to show off. At this point, he was soon in for trouble. James puffed onto the wrong track. James thought he was steaming through Shen Valley, but he wasn't. He was steaming towards the Snowy Hills.

James saw Edward in a siding. He was wearing his snowplough. "The ice has made the line ahead very slippery. It will be hard to shunt your train up the hill," he warned.

James was surprised he was in the hills. _"I must have taken the wrong track,"_ he thought.

"I've had to clear snow from lots of lines," continued Edward.

James was worried. _"What will become of Molly?"_ he thought. _"She's sure to be lost and cold out there! No thanks to Hector and him telling me what to do all the time!"_

"We need Edward's help," said Hector. "He could couple up to the front of the train."

But James didn't want to be told what to do by a truck, especially in front of Edward. And thinking about Molly out there in the snow made him even more determined not to let Hector interfere with his intentions.

"I'll decide what we do! I can manage on my own!" So James puffed slowly towards the hill. James huffed and puffed. He steamed and strained. His face was now as red as his boiler. James arrived at the top of the hill. He was very pleased.

 _"Now I can puff fast down the other side!"_ he thought. Then there was trouble. Hector could see a snow slide had blocked the line! Hector knew that if James slowed down at the bottom, they would get stuck in the drift.

"Onwards, onwards, don't slow down!" called Hector. But James didn't want to be told what to do, especially by a truck.

 _"I'll decide what we do!"_ he huffed to himself. So James applied his brakes. The train smashed straight into the snow, and it stuck. James couldn't make his delivery. He felt very bad.

James had wished he had checked with the Yard Manager about the weather, he wished he hadn't tried to find his way through Shen valley and he wished he had asked Edward to be his front engine. And something else began to pick at his mind.

 _"Oh dear,"_ he thought. _"Where could Molly be? …What would she have done if she was with Hector right now?"_ James could feel everything coming clear. Molly would have listened to Hector and agreed with his advice. She would have stayed safe rather than get lost and run into a snow drift.

"Now I know Hector was trying to help me," he moaned. The trucks giggled. "James is silly, James is slow! James has got us stuck in snow!"

"Quiet!" snapped James. "Please, Hector. How can I deliver my train on time?"

Hector was happy to help. "I'm a very heavy truck," he said. "We must race down the hill at full speed, then we will biff the train right through the snow!"

"What a good idea!" huffed James. So Hector was uncoupled from the train. James wheeshed and wheezed. At last, he had hauled Hector back to the top of the hill.

"Go, James! GO!" Hector and James raced faster and faster down the hill, there was a mighty biff and Hector pushed the train right through the snow!

"We did it! Well done, Hector!" called James. Hector was pleased.

Thomas and Stanley were already at Great Waterton. James, Hector and the train arrived.

"You made it!" Thomas smiled.

"We were worried," added Stanley.

"I wasn't worried," said James. "Hector helped me all the way."

Thomas and Stanley looked surprised. "You can always rely on a good truck," said James. Hector was happy to be a good truck, and James was happy to have a new friend…But he still wondered about Molly. Was she safe? Was she alright? He suddenly grew nervous again. He now wanted to see if he could find her and see how she was doing.

"Thomas? Stanley? Can you watch Hector please? I have somewhere to be…" he said.

"Why, James?" asked Thomas. "What's the worry?"

"Gotta go!" whistled James as he uncoupled from Hector, switched to a different line and went off on his way.

"What was that about?" asked Stanley.

"No idea," said Thomas.

James hurried away from Great Waterton, then back onto the Main Line. Luckily for him, the snow was easing up and he could see more clearly. All the hard work with Hector had made him lose the numbness in his face and he felt warm again. But he barely noticed the warmth. He was too nervous about what might have happened to Molly.

 _"Molly, my God. Where is she?"_ he thought. _"Is she safe?"_ James sped up a little, looking left and right every few seconds. Just when he thought he would wail from fear, he saw a headlight up ahead and slowed down. He came closer and closer, and sure enough, there was Molly, waiting safely at a red signal, waiting to find a warm shed to stay in. Again, James didn't expect to gain any attention or positivity from Molly, but he still wanted to try. As he approached her, her signal dropped to green.

"Molly, thank goodness you're alright," he began. "I was so-"

"Uh-uh!" snapped Molly. "No, no, no, no. Away, James!" And she raced away down the track and out of sight again. For just a moment, James thought again about giving up, but he remembered about the Festival of Lights.

 _"Wait, James,"_ he thought to himself. _"Don't give up. She wants you to do that. The more she rebuffs me, the more I'm pushing on. No exceptions, I'm getting her back. Just be patient."_

Thinking that made James feel a little better and he even managed to smile up to the snowy sky. He had so much to be and to do in his life. And he even felt that even if he didn't gain Molly's love back, he could surely at least win her respect and friendship back. All he had to do was hold onto his faith and keep going. He knew there would be plenty of opportunities every year, no matter how long it would take. He gazed at the falling snow and whispered to himself.

"I don't know if you'll believe me anytime soon, but I hope you know…I love you, Molly. I really do…"

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, Thomas and Emily looked at James. They were both amazed at what they had heard this evening.

"Well, James, you sure were making your efforts," said Emily. "It's nice to hear how you pushed through some hardships like that."

"But it sounds like you were trying too hard, James," said Thomas. "You didn't really need to push through the snow like that with Hector."

"Look, Thomas. I was doing it because I was looking for every little chance I might have had to impress her," insisted James.

"We know," Thomas and Emily said together. By now, James was beginning to tire.

"I've told plenty tonight," he murmured. "Perhaps I can tell you more tomorrow."

"Fair enough, James," yawned Thomas. "It was nice hearing about your start to redemption."

"Thanks, you two," replied James, managing to smile a little. "Goodnight, Thomas. Goodnight, Emily."

"Goodnight, James," smiled Thomas. "Sweet dreams, Emily."

"Sweet dreams, boys," whispered Emily. Then all three engines fell asleep together. And Thomas and Emily awaited more to hear on James' Scarlet Redemption and him trying to do the right thing…

* * *

*sigh*...I know I know, it's been four months since the last chapter, but things have been crazy and busy for us, so unfortunately this had to be put on the backburner for a while. While things are still busy for us we wanted to get something out for you guys since we made you wait way longer than necessary. This was originally meant to longer, but we decided to split it in two. As for the next chapter, again, unfortunately you're gonna have to wait a while for it, but we're going to try and get as much done when we can.

Also I can't forget to mention the wonderful new story icon for this story, thanks to the lovely Rosie Angelina once again, you're an angel, Rosie! :D

And yes, I have seen "Journey Beyond Sodor", I thought it was really good, glad to finally hear Rosie speaking again after five years, granted she was only there for thirty seconds but she was great, her new design is simply gorgeous, and her new voice is fantastic. It was definitely better than "The Great Race"...speaking of which, yes I'm finally getting to that once this story is finished. Once we get there, it will play a huge impact on Thomas and Emily's love, perhaps a dangerous impact...as I'm approaching my 50th story on this site, Thomas and Emily's love will be put to the test and put at risk. The upcoming stories after this are not to be missed.

So, again, sorry about the long delay, please bare with us for bit longer as we try to work on the next chapter, and as usual please leave a review telling us what you thought of this long awaited chapter.


	6. Doing the Right Thing

It was the next evening. Thomas, Emily and James were settled in Knapford Sheds again. At this point, James had told his two friends about his path to redemption after Molly left him and he wasn't feeling as depressed as he was the previous evening when he came a few minutes late. If anything, he felt a little happy remembering the times when he tried to make a good impression.

"So, James," said Thomas. "You came in time this evening."

"That must mean you're feeling slightly better," added Emily.

"I do feel better than I did last night when I continued my story," answered James.

"So, you began your mission of redemption," Thomas recapped. "You helped us be ready for the Festival of Lights, you and Molly came together briefly that winter, and you braved a snowstorm with Hector…what came next?"

"The next chance I got was when we tried to restore Hiro behind the Fat Controller's back, and behind Spencer's troublesome behavior." And James began the part of his story that was about doing the right thing…

* * *

After braving a winter storm with Hector, James was still battling to get Molly back. She had occasional encounters with him, but they were mostly brief and negative. James was running a bare-bones operation by himself, not showing any weakness or consideration of giving up. He was still intending to press on and do whatever he had to.

It was summer on the Island of Sodor and Spencer had come by again, much to all the engines' displeasure. Spencer had been bragging all about the Duke and Duchess' summer home and Thomas had challenged him to a race of strength. Thomas had thundered down Gordon's hill and into an old siding, where he found Hiro, the long-lost master of the railway.

It was now a dark of night at Tidmouth Sheds. Thomas had talked to Victor about acquiring parts to restore Hiro, but because he was trying to help his new friend, Percy had taken his special and now his mail wagons were missing. Thomas then explained everything to his friends.

"I have something very important to tell you." As the stars sparkled above Tidmouth, Thomas told them all about Hiro. The engines had never heard such an amazing story. They all agreed to try keeping Spencer at bay while secretly restoring Hiro. James also thought that helping an engine as grand and unique as Hiro would give him another chance to step closer to winning Molly again.

 _"Wow,"_ he thought to himself. _"To think he was hidden there for so long…If I can help get him back in service…perhaps Molly will like that."_

"I'm certainly in for this job," he said. "Whatever I can do, please let me know, Thomas. Hiro needs our help and he's gonna get it."

"Of course, James," said Thomas. James was now very excited. To help such an old, but famous engine, Molly would surely notice this…

 _"Come on, Molly,"_ he thought. _"You can't pass this up. You just can't."_

Time passed. All the engines kept bringing parts to Hiro, including James. Molly had not heard anything about Hiro since all the engines remained highly secretive about him, hence she heard nothing about James either. James wanted to tell her, but he became too busy wanting to restore Thomas' new discovery.

One day, while Hiro's restoration was under-way in secret, James wondered where else they could find parts to help Hiro. The engines had asked Victor for plenty already. Then he suddenly remembered. Perhaps the quarry had some spare parts that would help.

"Once we restore Hiro, I can inform Molly, or at least try. Maybe that will give me a chance," he thought as he made his way to the quarry.

When he got there, Thomas and Percy had found Spencer there too. Mavis was smugly pretending to give the silver engine a tour of the quarry to create a diversion. Thomas and Percy thought that was very funny. Spencer didn't, he scowled, and he didn't see James puffing by with a flatbed of parts for Hiro.

"It worked," he whispered. "Here I come, Hiro...I do hope Molly will appreciate this."

James successfully got the parts to Hiro and kept on helping in any way he could. No word of Hiro reached Molly's knowledge. James really wanted to tell Molly about Hiro, but after Thomas requested to keep him a secret, James didn't want to take the risk…yet.

The engines continued to help restore Hiro and James kept doing his best too. The way it turned out, Hiro was eventually chased by Spencer, but broke down in the process. Thomas went to warn the Fat Controller, with Spencer getting trapped in the Fenland overnight. Afterwards, arrangements were made so that Hiro was properly restored to his former and true glory.

It was now early evening and Hiro was on his way back home. Most of the engines were on their way back to Tidmouth Sheds. James, however had decided to find Molly and try telling her about Hiro now that he didn't need to be kept a secret anymore. Surely, she had to acknowledge this.

Molly was idling at Knapford Station by herself when she saw some of the engines going on their way back to Tidmouth Sheds, talking about Hiro.

"Hiro is quite fascinating," said Henry.

"Yes, Henry. He is," said Percy.

 _"Hiro? Who's Hiro?"_ Molly thought.

"I'm just glad he'll be Master of the Railway again," Henry continued.

 _"Master of the Railway?"_ thought Molly. Just then, James came up beside her, to her dismay.

"Molly? I've come to tell you something…" he began.

"I'm not interested, James," blurted Molly. "You just want to lie more!"

But James was ready. He had decided to show some resistance to Molly's rejections. "Molly, I know you dislike me right now, but you don't have to like me. You just have to hear me…please. What I'm about to tell you, I hope you can appreciate a little bit."

Molly heard James' remark and thought again. She didn't trust him, but she wondered if what he wanted to tell her had anything to do with Hiro. She could at least learn something about him.

"Fine, James," she said reluctantly. "I'll listen." James felt impressed. For once, Molly would listen to him.

"A few days ago, the other engines and I came to learn about a long-abandoned engine called Hiro who Thomas met. He was left in a siding for a countless number of years waiting to be brought out again. Thomas decided he would help bring Hiro back to his former title as 'Master of the Railway,' so we all took turns visiting the Steamworks and anywhere else we could to find unneeded parts that could help repair Hiro."

As Molly listened, she felt irritated underneath having to talk with the engine she despised so much for hurting Emily, but she was secretly also intrigued at learning about Hiro. But being sensitive as she was, she thought that James was only helping Hiro to gain attention and gain some fort of fame that would be forgotten within a day.

"Well, James," she said in a blunt voice. "It was considerate of you to help such a unique engine back to being useful…but don't think that changes my feelings to you right now! If you weren't so selfish, you would have told me about this Hiro!"

"I wasn't selfish," said James. "Thomas said to keep it a secret."

"And you didn't think of telling me anyway?! Hiro would have been helped by the Fat Controller anyway. I should have figured," Molly cranked. "I'm still not convinced, and I don't think I ever will be!" and she steamed away from her cracked ruby again.

James was slightly annoyed, but considering that Molly had listened to him, even if she didn't want to, he gained another wave of hope. For the most part, Molly had ignored him and tried to avoid him whenever she possibly could. Now, she gave at least a fragment of acknowledgement… but not to his efforts to redeem himself. She was only interested in learning about Hiro. James kept his determination flowing and wondered how else he could impress her…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, Thomas and Emily were surprised. They expected that Molly was ignoring James throughout his entire mission of redemption, but they were wrong.

"So, that's the second time she talked right with you, after encountering you with Rocky," said Thomas.

"She actually listened to you," said Emily. "Reluctantly, of course, but she still listened. How did you feel then, James?"

"I felt somewhere in the middle," answered James. "disappointed that she didn't see any good in me making efforts, but I also felt very optimistic when she actually took some time to hear about Hiro."

"What happened next?" asked Thomas.

"Remember when I was painted pink and didn't have time to have my main red coat painted?" asked James.

Emily smiled slightly, remembering when she saw James like that, but she kept composed. "Oh, yes. We do, James," she said.

"I may have pressed on and helped Bridget enjoy her birthday party, but being pink did dash some of the hopes I had, and I felt some of Molly's pain…" and James continued on while Thomas and Emily reheard about when the red engine was tickled pink…

* * *

James was in the Steamworks for a new coat of paint. He was excited to get a fresh new coat of red. After his old red coat was removed, the painter opened a can that revealed a colour that James was not expecting at all. A bright pink colour of paint. James began to feel jumpy.

"Sir? I'm supposed to be red, not pink!" he said with alert.

The painter laughed. "Don't be silly, James. This is a special paint. Surely you're aware of undercoats."

"Of course I am," said James. "Or at least, I hardly think much about them."

"Well," said the painter. "This pink paint is going to be your undercoat. Once it's dry, we'll paint you in your main coat of red. The pink undercoat will protect your main coat from spoiling if it gets wet. We even painted Thomas with a pink undercoat when he first came to Sodor."

"Really?" said James. "He failed to mention that." As the pink paint was applied, James felt better knowing that his red coat would be applied, regardless of the pink undercoat…but unfortunately, the red coat had to wait when the Fat Controller arrived.

"My granddaughter is having her birthday party today," he said. "Emily was to pick her up at Maithwaite Station, but she has broken down."

James listened carefully, and a little nervously.

"The other engines are busy," said the Fat Controller. "You must collect the children and take them to the party."

Normally, James would have been proud to help the Fat Controller's granddaughter enjoy a birthday, but given his current condition, he became much alarmed. "But sir, I'm not ready!" he exclaimed.

"You're quite ready enough, James. Leave right away; the party starts at teatime. You mustn't be late." The Fat Controller left.

James was upset. "Oh no! Pink is a silly colour! I don't want anyone to see me looking silly!" But James knew underneath his nervous nature that really useful engines do as they are told…and he couldn't let the Fat Controller's granddaughter down. It was her birthday and it would never do to see it go wrong.

James puffed up to a junction. Emily was there. She was waiting for the workmen. When she looked to her right, she could not believe her eyes. James, one of her former enemies was painted pink! James the Splendid Engine was wearing what was commonly a girl's colour in plain sight.

"Cinders and Ashes! You're bright pink, James!" Emily laughed and laughed.

James huffed on with Emily's giggles and laughter ringing in his smokebox. It made him think about when Molly first came to Sodor. He remembered that Emily laughed at her for pulling empty trucks. Now Emily had laughed at him. It made him understand more how hurt Molly's feelings were. He also recalled that when she dumped him, she mentioned that by hurting Emily so badly, he made Emily laugh at her. That made him feel even guiltier for targeting Emily so badly alongside Gordon. He could feel what Molly felt.

"Oh no! Everyone is gonna laugh at me because I'm pink!" he groaned. James didn't want to be laughed at…then an idea flew into his funnel.

"If I see any other engines on the way to the children, I'll hide," he said. James hoped he didn't have to hide too much. He knew Bridget Hatt was waiting for him and that she was excited for her party. James chuffed through the countryside. Ahead, he could see Toby puffing along the track.

"I don't want Toby to see my pink paint! He'll think I'm silly! I'll hide under this tree until he's gone."

So James chuffed under the branches of a willow tree. Toby puffed slowly towards him. James kept a quiet as he could so that Toby wouldn't hear him. Suddenly, James heard a whistle he knew well! It was Gordon!

As Gordon thundered past Toby and down the express line, the branches of the tree blew up in the air. There was James in his bright pink paint! Toby stopped. He was surprised.

"Fizzling Fireboxes, James! You're a big pink engine!" laughed Toby. James felt very silly. He didn't like being laughed at, so he steamed swiftly away and puffed on towards Maithwaite. "I mustn't be late or the children!" He reminded himself. As he huffed along the track, he thought back to being laughed at. Although he did not like it one bit, at least he was learning how Molly felt way back when and he felt even more sorry for her.

Then, James saw Diesel.

"Oh no! It's Diesel, he's sure to laugh! I have to hide quickly!" he exclaimed. Diesel was always trouble ever since he first came to Sodor, but James feared he would be at his worst if he saw a pink engine.

James saw some trucks. They were piled high with coal. James puffed into the siding and hid behind the trucks. "This is a good hiding place," he said, but then Diesel oiled into the siding. "Fizzling Fenders!"

Diesel had to shunt the coal trucks. Diesel had shunted away the coal trucks that James was hiding behind. So James puffed to the next trucks, then Diesel shunted those away as well. Quickly and desperately, James rolled behind the last two trucks, then Diesel shunted them away!

"Oh no!" he said. Diesel heard that voice and backed up…Diesel was surprised. It was a true laughingstock for him to see James in such a colour.

"What are you doing, James You're a big pink steamie!" he laughed.

James felt terrible. Being laughed at by Diesel was worst of all, so James chuffed quickly away. James knew he was getting late. He had to pick up the children before teatime.

"I'll take a shortcut through this tunnel. That way, I'm sure to chuff to Maithwaite on time!" James puffed out of the tunnel. Then he heard Gordon's whistle again!

"It's Gordon! Oh no! I don't want Gordon to laugh at my silly pink paint! I have to hide!" So James reversed back into the tunnel and waited.

Gordon pulled up to the tunnel. "Who's hiding in there? Express coming through. Come on out!" called Gordon.

James didn't want to come out. He was sure Gordon would laugh at him…and being the engine that he was, Gordon would surely spread gossip about James' pink coat to other engines who hadn't laughed at James yet. Then Thomas and Percy puffed up.

"What's happening?" asked Percy.

"Who's in there?" added Thomas.

"I don't know, but the express can't wait!" huffed Gordon.

James knew the engines were waiting for him...and so were the children. He also thought about Molly. While hiding earlier, he was too concerned to think about exactly what she would think, but at this point he thought that she'd surely consider him a coward if he did nothing but hide whenever he can and have Bridget miss her party. To help the Fat Controller's grandchildren was supposed to be a great honour and important job and James didn't want her to be disappointed on her birthday.

"If I keep hiding, I'll be late to pick up the children, and they'll be late for their party!" So with a puff and a huff, James chuffed slowly out of the tunnel. He was very unhappy.

"James! You're all…pink! What a funny colour!" giggled Percy.

"I'd hide too if I was bright pink!" guffawed Gordon.

James felt terrible. All the engines were laughing at him, but James knew what he had to do. If he just pressed on and ignored any more laughter, he would reach Maithwaite on time and see that Bridget would have a happy birthday. And he thought that it would be a good way to test himself to see if he could manage hardships without Molly's help.

"I feel very silly, but I can't let the children down!"

James hurried to Maithwaite as fast as his pistons could pump. James saw Spencer at a junction. Spencer thought James looked very silly.

"Oh dear, James. Bright pink really isn't your colour!" he declared.

James didn't like this, but this time, even though he felt silly, he didn't hide. "I mustn't be late for the children!" he huffed. _"Besides, Spencer would have laughed anyway,"_ he thought to himself.

Then James saw Henry passing by. "My word! You DO look pink!" called Henry. But James didn't hide. He felt silly, but he didn't stop. "Must collect the children! Must collect the children!" he huffed to himself.

James puffed towards Maithwaite. He could see the children waiting.

"I'm sure the children will laugh too. They'll think I look very silly!" And he steamed sadly onto the station. James pulled into Maithwaite. The Fat Controller's granddaughter didn't laugh, and she didn't think James looked silly at all. She smiled. She was very excited and very happy.

"James! You're a pink engine! Pink is my favorite colour!" she chimed.

James couldn't believe it! "Do you really like pink?"

"I love pink, and so do all my friends! Look!"

"Pink is our favorite colour!" said all the other children.

James was so happy, it made his boiler bubble.

"I'm a very lucky engine!" And James puffed proudly into Tidmouth Town Hall just in time for the party, the children laughed and clapped their hands. James the Bright Pink Engine was the hero of the day. He enjoyed watching the children enjoy the party and Bridget's birthday was a very happy one indeed. To make the Fat Controller's granddaughter happy on her birthday felt wonderful. And enduring other engines' laughter wasn't so hard after all. It didn't stop him from being on time. He decided to forget his troubles for a while and just enjoy his accomplishment and know that Bridget would have a happy birthday after all.

By late afternoon, the party was over and Bridget and her friends were ready to return home. Most of the children boarded James' train, but Bridget took some time to look at James once again.

"You know, James," she said. "This was a wonderful birthday gift for me…to see you in my favorite colour!"

"I am glad to know that being pink made you happy, Bridget," said James. "Your grandfather would have been pleased if he knew this."

"I'll tell him for you, James. Thank you for a happy birthday," smiled Bridget as she boarded her coach. James smiled as he took the children home. But somewhere within him, he still had a minor fear that Gordon might have told other engines about the pink undercoat. After he returned the children to Knapford Station, he rushed to the Steamworks, hoping he could have his main coat of red paint applied.

Luckily, some workmen were still there with buckets of red paint. They got to work and painted over James' undercoat. James felt happy to be getting his favorite colour back again. At least the engines wouldn't see him in pink anymore and laugh. He also wanted to tell Molly about Bridget and how happy she was to see him in pink.

 _"If she doesn't appreciate what I did for Bridget, I'm a puddle of sludge,"_ he thought as the workmen finished repainting him.

James huffed out of the Steamworks in his smart red paint, on his way to find Molly. As he went along, however, he saw Donald and Douglas gossiping to each other. Gordon had told them about a certain pink engine and left them to guess who it was.

"Can you believe what Gordon said Donal?" asked Douglas.

"Nay, Dougie. What engine would go 'round in bright pink other than Rosie?"

"Rosie ain't pink, lad. She's lavender," corrected Douglas.

"Still," said Donald. "Whoever it t'was, I'm sure was a very silly engine. Pink is silly and girly."

James thought this was insulting to Bridget loving pink. He couldn't help himself. "Shut up, you two! Pink isn't silly. Bridget loves that colour. It's because of me that she had a happy birthday!" James suddenly looked shocked at himself. He didn't mean to slip that he was the pink engine.

"Well, well, well! Surely, James it wasn't ye? Ye dinna say!" said Douglas. James snorted and continued on his way. Eventually, he found Molly in the shunting yards. When she saw James coming by, she was disappointed. Not because she didn't want to see him. She was hoping he was still pink so she could rebuff him again, but he was back in red and she couldn't do so.

"Whoever laughed at you for being pink, they were right to do so!" she snapped.

"Molly, it was just an undercoat, and I had to help Bridget and her friends be ready for her birthday party," said James.

"Oh, I know," said Molly. "You volunteered to do it just because she's the Fat Controller's granddaughter. You wanted the job just for the glory and attention!"

"No, I didn't," said James. "Emily broke down before she could pick Bridget up. The Fat Controller told me to do it."

"What a shame," sniffed Molly. "I would have been a good choice to take her to the party."

"Bridget just so happens to love pink. It's her favorite colour!" said James.

"Well, that's lovely to hear. At least she had a happy birthday…and YOU got to pay the price for making Emily laugh at me I the first place by having everyone laugh at you! I'm sure you were hiding like a coward whenever you could!"

"I'm no coward!" objected James. "I did hide at first, but I plucked up courage and pressed on to see that Bridget would have her party!"

"Hmph! Rushing to make up for lost time to boast later, I wouldn't imagine!" And before James could object again, Molly huffed away.

James felt both good and disappointed again. Molly was happy that Bridget enjoyed her party, but she only accused James of wanting attention and praise when the Fat Controller only asked him to do such a job. He knew Molly was a sensitive engine and as such, she was not easy to win back in his given situation, but with her beginning to take time to listen, that had to mean something. But missions don't always have accomplishment and James' next few attempts would not work as well as they were so far…

* * *

"So Bridget was happy that you were wearing her favorite colour," said Thomas in Knapford Sheds. "That must have meant something good."

"And James? I am sorry for bursting into laughter at your pink colour," said Emily. "It just seemed so strange and unusual to me."

"I probably deserved it after everything I put you through, Emily," said James. "But, apology accepted."

"What came next?" asked Thomas.

"I don't mean to lay blame," said James. "But you did ruin a chance I was hoping to get with Molly…for Alicia Botti's concert…"

Thomas knew what James meant and he and Emily listened some more…

* * *

It had been raining and pouring on the Island of Sodor. The engines were splished and splashed with mud. Despite the rain, Alicia Botti was to sing at the Town Hall concert. After the concert, there was to be a grand tea and cakes. The Fat Controller had sent Thomas to the washdown and Rosie to collect Annie and Clarabel and take to Dryaw.

To help prepare the cakes, the Fat Controller had sent Emily to gather flour to take to the bakery. Now he needed someone to take the strawberries. He wondered who was available at this time. As he made his way back to Knapford Station, he saw that James was just stopping by the platform.

"Ah, there you are, James," he said. "I would like you to help prepare the Grand Tea at the Town Hall."

"Of course, sir," said James. "What can I do?"

"I have sent Emily to collect flour to deliver to the bakery to make the cakes. You must collect fresh strawberries to go along with the cakes. If you make good time, you and Emily can make it in time for the concert."

"Yes sir," said James and he set off with haste to gather the strawberries. James thought hopefully to himself. This was quite a simple opportunity in comparison to helping Hiro, but it was still a chance that had to be there.

 _"I don't like trucks, but strawberries are perfectly alright to pull,"_ James thought. On the way, James huffed through a few puddles himself, dirtying his red paint into a brown tinge. He didn't like that, but he knew he could find a washdown after delivering the strawberries. Soon, he arrived at the strawberry-field near the farm and his flatbeds were soon loaded with ripe, red strawberries.

"Lovely," he thought to himself. "These will surely make the cakes a great success for the Grand Tea. What will Molly think of this?"

But James was sadly doomed to hope. At that very moment, Thomas had already been splashing other engines along the line. He had splashed Gordon to get back at him for hurting Emily, he splashed Charlie, who did like the new game and he had splashed Emily and ruined her flour.

James stopped at a red signal and waited for his chance to go. He didn't know if Molly would take notice of this good deed or not. Then out of the corner of his eye, he vaguely saw Thomas stop at the signal too.

Thomas waited to chuff to the washdown. Then he saw a very big puddle right beside James.

"James is muddy already. I'm sure he'd like my game…and I'm sure I have time for just one more puddle before the washdown."

 _"Hmm,"_ thought James. _"I've no time for fun and games now."_ But just like Gordon, Thomas was also intending to pay James back for hurting Emily too. The signal went green and Thomas chanted again.

"Here I come, James! Splish-Splash-Splosh!" And Thomas steamed away laughing. Muddy rainwater had splooshed all over James…and all over the ripe strawberries on his flatbed!

"Blistering Boilers! These strawberries were for Alicia Botti's cakes! Now they're ruined." As James went on his way with his now wet, filthy strawberries, he seethed with anger.

"That little fool just ruined another chance for me to prove myself to Molly! Now I have to take these spoiled strawberries to the bakery and get told off by the Dairy Manager…I'm a bigger mess no thanks to Thomas! I can't attend the concert looking like this!"

Unfortunately, on the way to the bakery, he passed Molly. She was huffing through puddles too and saw how dirty James looked.

"So much for being radiant," she sniffed. "Look at yourself, James! What were you thinking, spoiling the strawberries?! You're not a pleasant sight! And neither are those strawberries!"

Before James could correct her that it was Thomas, he went right by her and she was out of sight. When James arrived with the ruined strawberries, he was expecting a scolding and he felt even worse. But instead of scolding James, the Dairy Manager immediately saw what had happened and said, "Thomas splashed you, didn't he?"

"Yes, sir," said James. "How did you know?"

"Emily came here with ruined flour. Now I see your strawberries are ruined. Go collect a fresh train and be careful around puddles…I'll have to tell the Fat Controller about Thomas."

While the spoiled strawberries were disposed of, James huffed crossly back to the farm for more strawberries, keeping a sharp eye in all directions, watching carefully for any puddles, and Thomas. When he arrived back at the strawberry field, he explained everything to the gardener. Soon, James had a new load of fresh, red strawberries ready to deliver to make the cakes for the Grand Tea, but he was not happy. The Dairy Manager may have understood what had happened, but Molly had rebuffed James and blamed him for something he didn't even cause.

"I didn't spoil the strawberries, Thomas did!" James fumed. "That silly little tank engine ruined another chance for me! Molly scolded me wrongly and I won't even make it to the concert at this rate!"

James took the new strawberries and returned carefully to the bakery. Emily was there too with a new load of flour. Then Thomas huffed up to apologize for splashing Emily and to find a washdown himself.

"Your silly game means we'll be late for the concert!" Emily said crossly. Thomas understood Emily's annoyance and made her and James a promise.

"No you won't. I'll wait here for the cakes, then I'll deliver them. You can go to the wash-down and you'll both be clean for the concert."

Emily's annoyance flew right out her funnel. "Thank you, Thomas!" she cheered happily.

"Now I'll be shiny and best, and gleam more than the rest," James declared…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, Thomas felt even guiltier of splashing James and he now understood why James began this part of the story with some annoyance. Not only did Thomas ruin the strawberries, but he had caused Molly to be wrongfully displeased with James.

"Oh, James," Thomas said shamefully. "I had no idea I ruined a chance between you and Molly,"

"After the concert, I didn't bother to go looking for her again. I still had that thought of being splashed by you in my mind," groused James.

"We're gonna help you through this, James," promised Thomas. "What did you do next?"

James kept on with his story, about the time he, Thomas, Percy and Emily had to prepare for the football match for Sodor United...

* * *

At Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas, James, Percy and Emily were waiting for the Fat Controller to come and give out the jobs.

"I hope Sodor United wins," said Emily.

"So do I, Emily," agreed Thomas.

"Me too," peeped Percy.

"Sodor United can't be beat," said James. Then he thought to himself. _"I hope I can do something to help the team get ready. That might hold a chance for Molly to regain some interest…"_

Then the Fat Controller arrived. "Today is a very busy day," he said. "One engine must take the Sodor United team to the football field. One engine must take the fans. One must deliver the apples for the halftime break. And the other must collect the dirty washing from Maithwaite Station and take it to the laundry lady."

The engines wheeshed happily. "Now I must hurry," said the Fat Controller. "Thomas, you will decide which engines does which job."

James heard this and was a little surprised. _"Why should Thomas decide?"_ he thought. _"I do hope he doesn't make me take the dirty washing! Molly would be most displeased!"_

Emily was very excited. "Football is my favorite game," she smiled. "I always puff past the football pitch when the Sodor United team is playing…did you know that the goal keeper has a lucky pair of gloves and…"

Emily was so busy boasting, she didn't hear her friends.

"I'll take the team to the football pitch," decided Thomas. James had hoped he'd get that chance and felt disappointed, but he thought again…taking the fans to the game was also important and could serve a good deed. People would want to see the game be played and Sodor United would appreciate a good audience. James decided to speak up for himself.

"I'll take the fans," he said.

"And I'll take the apples for halftime break," said Percy. He and James left the sheds.

James huffed to Knapford Station to gather his coaches and pick up the fans for the game. He collected two of his favorite red coaches then arrived at the platform just as the fans began to arrive.

"Good morning, everyone," James said pleasantly.

"Good morning, James," some people replied. The fans boarded James' coaches, the guard's whistle blew and James was on his way to the football field. As he steamed smoothly along the line, he saw Molly again and tried his luck again.

"Molly?" he whistled. "Sodor United is playing today. All the fans are with me. I hope the team win for us."

Molly huffed back at James as he passed by. "Helping fans is decent, but preparing for a simple football match is NO proof of your good will!" she wheeshed.

James sighed to himself and kept going. "Oh well," he said. "It was worth a try. I'll just have to look out for more important opportunities...perhaps rescuing an engine, or maybe the holidays…"

As he huffed on carefully so he wouldn't bump his fans around too much, he unfortunately didn't expect Emily to be coming straight towards him on his line.

Emily had just tried to help Percy with the apples, but ended up knocking the truck over, but she hoped she could help James and avoid the dirty washing. She stopped directly in front of him, blocking his path.

"James, stop!" she called. "I can help you with your important job! I'll be your back engine, then the fans will arrive more quickly!"

But James was going too fast to stop. He didn't want the fans to get hurt. "Out of my way, Emily!" he called. But Emily didn't chuff out of the way. James had to screech into a siding. His wheels whirred and he bumped into the buffers. Luckily, no one was hurt, but James was cross.

"Thank you, Emily. I don't need your help!" He wheeshed. "This is MY job! Your job is to collect the dirty washing!" This made Emily cross. She really didn't want to puff to Maithwaite to collect the washing. James steamed snootily away with the carriages of fans.

While Emily went off to find Thomas to try helping him, James felt indignant, like Gordon mostly did. He was sure the fans would be cross with him for getting bumped about, even if it avoided an accident.

"What was she thinking?" he exclaimed. "A train this small doesn't need a back engine! I hope the fans don't blame me!" When he arrived at the football pitch, the fans stepped out of his carriages. Some of them were still affronted by what Emily did.

"I'm sorry, everyone," said James. "I didn't mean to bump you around when I hit the buffers. Was anyone hurt?"

"Don't feel bad, James," said a passenger. "We're all just fine. I don't know what came over Emily, but you deserve our thanks for preventing a bad accident."

James was surprised. The fans actually thanked him for basically saving them.

"Oh…well, you're welcome, everyone," he said. The fans then made their way to the pitch to find seats and wait for the game to take place. Until Emily realized her mistake, gathered the Team's uniforms for the game and until the game began, James stayed where he was at the pitch, thinking about more important jobs he could do that would in any way gain Molly's attention again…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, James looked at Thomas and Emily.

"Well," said Thomas. "That was a simple attempt for Molly."

"If that didn't work," said Emily. "What did you try next, James?"

"I thought that saving Gordon from the Fenland would be a good chance when I was chosen to be the Search and Rescue Engine along with Toby." And James continued with the next part…

* * *

It was a bright afternoon on Sodor and James and Toby were huffing along the line. The Fat Controller had chosen James to be the Sodor Island Rescue Engine for the day. James had to be ready for any call to action from the Search and Rescue Centre. The Fat Controller had also chosen Toby to be James' assistant on the rescue service. James did not like that. He thought that Toby would not be able to help in any way, despite Thomas reminding him that Toby was still really useful and could help anyone. James and Toby were both on their way to rescue Gordon, who was trapped on the Fenland and needed to be helped back to safety. James had been bragging most of the way on how he was the Rescue Engine always ready for action. He was also thinking if saving Gordon would give him a chance to show Molly his good intentions.

But at the same time, James had a feeling of not wanting to do this. He was helping the very engine he could have stopped from hurting Emily. As Molly said when she dumped James, he didn't try to save Emily from Gordon and it made him sadly remember when he realized that big mistake.

 _"What a pity I didn't stop that 'Galloping Sausage,' when I had the chance!"_

Those words were ringing ever-so slightly through James' mind as he huffed on his way to the Fenland. But then another thought hit him. Gordon always boasted about being the only engine strong enough to pull the express. Some engines wondered if Henry was stronger than Gordon, being able to move more trucks than three Diesels at once, but James found himself to be quite strong too. If he could move Gordon back to safety, he thought that would be a very sneaky way to put Gordon's strength to shame and pay him back for hurting Emily and ultimately having Molly leave her ruby…

James wheeshed up to Gordon. Gordon's front wheels were off the track.

"Rescue Engine to the Ready! I'll pull you back on track in no time!" declared James, trying to sound important.

Toby came up alongside, ringing his bell. "Excuse me, James. I don't think that's a good idea. Gordon is too heavy. I'll go fetch Rocky."

James snorted and sniffed, "I will rescue Gordon. I will not need help, thank you Toby." So James was coupled up to Gordon, determined to prove himself a strong engine. James heaved and James hauled. He huffed and he puffed. His face went as red as his paintwork.

"Nearly there, Gordon!" he groaned against Gordon's weight. Gordon shuddered and juddered. Gordon's driving wheels fell off the track.

"Bother," said James, trying to sound casual, but beneath his innocence, he was disappointed. Moving Gordon was not at all easy…but he wanted to save Gordon by himself to prove himself to Molly, even if he didn't accept Toby's help.

"Oh, the Indignity!" declared Gordon.

"Excuse me, James. I think we need Rocky," said Toby.

"No thank you, Toby. I shall puff around to shunt Gordon back on the tracks," declared James. Reluctantly, Toby followed James along to find a way around the other side of the Fenland. On the way back, children cheered James and Toby. James' firebox fizzed and whizzed.

"I'm the Rescue Engine on Sodor for the day!" he declared. "I'm a very busy engine. Stand back, watch out, make way." And James huffed on down the line, with Toby trailing behind. Soon, James saw Molly huffing along the track by herself. He tried repeating the declaration he made for the children, but Molly didn't even turn her eyes to look. She pouted her lips a little and said nothing. James kept concentrated on his goal to help Gordon while Toby moped along, feeling helpless.

Eventually, the two engines returned to the Fenland. James and Toby chuffed in behind Gordon. "Rescue Engine to the Ready!"

Gordon grunted grumpily. He thought James' rescue announcement was silly and sounded a little childish.

 _"It's to the 'rescue,' not to the 'ready'. Silly engine,"_ he thought.

"Excuse me, James. I think Rocky-" began Toby.

"No…thank you, Toby," James cut in. "I do not need Rocky's help." James buffered up behind Gordon, but just like trying to pull the big engine, James couldn't push him either, especially now that Gordon was caught between the rails. James shoved and James shunted. He huffed and he puffed. His cheeks went as red as his paintwork.

"Nearly there, Gordon!" he strained. Then there was trouble. The tracks creaked and crumbled. Then it cracked, and Gordon fell right in between the crack.

"Bother!" exclaimed James.

Gordon groaned, "Oh, the Indignity!"

"I don't want to be a bother, James. But I think it's time for Rocky," said Toby. At this point, James was very tired of Toby's constant suggestions to fetch Rocky. He felt a flare of anger inside him, but as soon as it began to control him, he retrieved his self-discipline and stayed calm.

"NO…Thank you, Toby. I'm the Rescue Engine, and I have a plan," said James.

"Very good, James," said Toby, getting the feeling that he was not going to be listened to at all.

"What we need is speed and spin! Back up and watch the rescue." So James backed up. Toby backed up, and Gordon waited. Then James pumped his pistons, his boiler bubbled and his firebox fizzed.

"Rescue engine to the ready!" called James.

James roared and raced down the tracks. He hit Gordon's buffer with a biff and a bash and a terrible smash! But all that did was make matters worse. Gordon's weight made James miss and derail himself, then Gordon slid backwards pushing him further in. Gordon the Grand had toppled off the track into the muddy Fen, and James the Rescue Engine had splished and sploshed into the mud after him!

"Oh, the Indignity!" Gordon shuddered once again.

"Oh, my Paintwork!" James felt terrible. "I am not a rescue engine. I am not a hero. I am not the brightest red engine on Sodor. I am the silliest and muddiest engine!" Gordon moaned with shame and embarrassment. And James couldn't feel sillier. Trying to put Gordon's strength to shame just put him to shame.

 _"What have I got myself into?"_ he thought. _"This won't do me any good for Molly!"_

Toby chuffed over carefully. "Excuse me…can I help, James?" he asked.

Hearing Toby this time made James feel relieved. He needed help and he was going to accept it.

"Yes, Toby. I need your help," admitted James. "Please go and fetch Rocky."

"Happy to help, James," said Toby.

Thomas was happy to help Toby. Together, they pushed and pulled Rocky to the Fenland. Rocky lifted Gordon and James out of the mud and back on track.

"Happy to help, James," said Rocky.

"Thank you, Rocky. I still feel very silly," said James. "But even silly engines have to be really useful rescue engines." James didn't want to think about what Molly would say to his failed attempts with Gordon. He decided that helping anyone else with Toby would help him forget those thoughts.

"Puff along with me, Toby. I need your help," he said.

So together, James and Toby were fine rescue engines. They shunted and pulled Charlie to the water tower, they brought Diesel oil to Mavis when she had run out, and they pushed Percy to the Steamworks when his traction rods rattled.

At last at the end of a long day, James and Toby returned to the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre.

"We are the Rescue Engines on Sodor for the day!" They said together. "We're very busy engines! Stand back, watch out, make way!"

"I hear you two have been busy," said the Fat Controller.

"Yes sir!" said both engines.

Then James said, "Thank you for sending Toby to help me, sir. He's the best rescue tram on all of Sodor!"

That evening, Toby and James went separate ways. Toby was on his way back to Arlesdale to see Henrietta and James went to find a washdown and get the mud off. As he was being washed, James' thoughts of Molly began flooding back. How could he explain himself? Would she listen? Could James be heard again as he was with Hiro and being pink?

Then his chance came. Molly came by and stopped at the signal near the washdown. She could see James and wanted to ignore him. But James decided he'd try what worked after he helped to restore Hiro.

"I understand that you don't trust me, Molly, but please listen," he said out loud. "I helped Toby rescue some engines today."

Molly didn't look at James. Just straight ahead…but she did answer. "Go ahead," she said bluntly.

"Toby and I were the Search and Rescue Engines today," said James. "I tried to help Gordon by myself, but after an accident with myself and him, Toby helped us out, then the two of us helped Charlie, Mavis and Percy out of the jam."

"Uh-huh," said Molly. "And you were helping Gordon by yourself to be the big shot, the mighty strong engine?"

"Y-ye…" James began.

"I knew it!" blurted Molly. "You were trying to impress everyone just with your strength, not trying to actually help engines!"

"Please, Molly!" begged James. "Toby and I worked together to help Charlie, Mavis and Percy!"

"You couldn't do it by yourself, so Toby had to help you. Why aren't I surprised?" pouted Molly.

A flare of anger flashed through James as he remembered double-heading with Toby after he ran out of water on the main line, but he resisted the urge to lash back so Molly wouldn't win too easily.

"I was actually happy to help Toby. We…" but even as James spoke, Molly's signal shone green and she steamed past James then disappeared, leaving him feeling accomplished and dismayed yet again. Molly listened again, but she didn't listen the entire time. By now, James did not know what he could do after this. He just had to wait for a better chance…

* * *

"James…you were secretly trying to bring Gordon low?" asked Emily. "Because of everything he did to me?"

"Yes, Emily," said James. "That's why I tried so hard to move him by myself."

Emily was a little surprised. She had no idea that James was, in a very unique and unseen way, trying to put Gordon in his place.

"I did not know…" breathed Thomas. "Well, Molly did listen a little again…What was your next attempt, James?"

"Quite a long time passed before I saw her again…and when I spent Christmas in despair…" said James. "I'll tell you about it…"

* * *

After a long phase of time, James felt like he was making slightly better progress. Although Molly still distrusted him, she did pay a little more attention to his good deeds and at least considered them decent acts. But ultimately, she still wasn't convinced that the red engine was her friend…

It wasn't until a few years later when another chance came and went for James one Christmas Eve. Emily had tried to find the Fat Controller's top hat to pull the Present Train, but that job was given to Thomas. Emily then found the top hat on a snowman and returned it to the Fat Controller. After Thomas and Emily nearly kissed in the Steamworks under a line of mistletoe, Rosie had revealed her feelings for Thomas and after a forceful kiss from her, Thomas restored some of her joy by telling her he could love her as if she was a sister. Now, Thomas was on his way to the Christmas Party.

At Knapford Station, the party was about to begin. Most of the engines were already there. Even Flynn and Belle from the Search and Rescue Centre were there. They didn't often get to attend parties or special times on Sodor as they were mostly on duty in case of any emergency.

Emily was also there, waiting for Thomas. She had been polished and was given some Christmas tree branches to wear along her running boards and a large red ribbon on her funnel. She felt like she was slightly in her dream world as she remembered that dream she and Thomas had after the Winter Party Special.

James was at the party too, but he didn't chat with any engines or people. He kept his distance, staring at the large Christmas tree, lost in thought. It looked so beautiful with different-coloured baubles, shining tinsel and lights winding around the branches, all the way to the golden star at the top. It made him remember when he and Molly spent time together after he helped Edward deliver the Presents Train.

"That tree looks so lovely," James whispered to himself. "Oh, Molly…if only you could see this tree right here and now…"

As he stared at the star, he suddenly heard a whistle from outside the station. James hoped it was Molly and slipped out of the station to see who it was. He caught sight of a lamp shining in the cold air, and sure enough, Molly was on her way to join the other engines for the party.

"Molly?" he whistled. But Molly didn't look or speak. She huffed on right past James to join the party. James miserably reversed back to the station to be by himself. Molly had already found a place amongst some of the other engines to hide from her cracked ruby. James returned to the Christmas tree he was looking at and tried to find any beauty that way.

Eventually, Thomas arrived with Annie and Clarabel. Although he was not decorated with anything, he gasped as he saw Emily.

"Oh…Emily! You…you look spectacular!" he wheeshed. Emily blushed. "Thank you, sweetie," she giggled. "And you look cute with your polish."

Thomas blushed too. "Uh…thank you, dear," he murmured nervously. Then, as the Knapford clock struck 9:00 p.m., the party began. The large Christmas tree on the middle platform was covered with lights and ornaments with a golden star on top. Children laughed and cheered for the holidays and the engines whistled in union.

The gossip of Rosie's sudden kiss with Thomas had spread over the island quickly, but everyone was very supportive of Rosie. James, however was too concentrated on his thoughts of Molly to pay attention to any gossip. As the party progressed into the night, the choir began singing carols. James could hear the dreamlike singing and felt even lonelier. It made him wonder if Molly was either happy to be on her own or if she was secretly just as lonely as he was already. She didn't seem to show any signs of loneliness, but if she was feeling so, James felt like he didn't just lose her, she also lost him. She didn't have someone to love either. In a way, he made her lose him and it made him feel even worse. Christmas couldn't be spent in any worse way than this.

Finally, as the clock struck 12:00 a.m., the party ended. Everyone boarded their trains and went home.

"Goodnight, Rosie…and Merry Christmas," called Thomas.

"Merry Christmas to both of you," Rosie whistled.

Thomas and Emily's trains were boarded and they went side-by-side along the line to take their passengers home.

James stayed behind a little longer while Molly went along with the rest of the engines. He felt sad that the party was over. Mostly because he didn't get a chance to enjoy it with Molly. Normally, he would have tried to push on and stay confident in himself, but after spending Christmas in a sad mood, James felt very hopeless. Christmas was supposed to be a time of love and being with family, like Thomas told Rosie. But Christmas was ruined for James with shame, loneliness and regret.

James set off slowly and quietly through the night with snow falling all around him. Even with his firebox burning, he felt no warmth in himself. He was getting colder by the minute, sulking in his low spirits. But as he approached Tidmouth Station, he saw light up ahead. He slowed down and looked closer. What he saw made him feel happy for a moment, then even sadder still.

Molly was idling at the platform. On the platform was a Christmas tree, decorated with lights, baubles and a star, like the one at Knapford, only smaller. Above the low-whistling wind, James thought he heard something…Molly was humming Christmas carols to herself. James had never heard her sing or hum before. She sounded so kind and innocent…and beautiful.

"Well…" he whispered, barely audible. "If Molly's happy tonight, that's alright for me."

He thought if he could try and join her…but seeing how she didn't want to be around him and because it was Christmas, he decided to make an exception and leave her be. Maybe she could enjoy Christmas by herself for once. So he huffed right by her, without a word as she kept humming to herself.

He had listened to her voice as he went by. It gave him both a little warmth, but even more questions to ask himself. He remembered when they were happy together, cheering each other up, having fun together. Oh, would it ever be like this again? Would she ever love James again? That future seemed so near and yet, was so far. James could almost feel Molly's heart beating with his. He remained silent all the way back to Tidmouth Sheds where he slept with so many feelings running through him…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, Thomas and Emily were both crying quietly. Tears dripped out of their eyes and flowed down their faces. What James told them about that Christmas was so beautiful and sad at the same time.

"So, you two…that's how I tried to do the right thing through so many attempts," whimpered James, crying himself. "But then Christmas went wrong for me…"

"...James, I-I didn't know…" whimpered Thomas.

"We had no idea you were that upset…at Christmas," Emily sobbed quietly. "You poor engine…" After a few unhappy moments, the three engines stopped crying and regained themselves.

"Anyway, that's how I tried doing the right thing," said James, feeling calmer.

"We are impressed, James," said Thomas. "You were really pushing to do the right thing."

"It is amazing to know you were trying to be a better engine, James," added Emily. "But I'm so sorry about how you felt that Christmas."

James had told quite a bit this evening and he began to feel tired. "Well, I think I've told a good night's worth of stories for you to learn more," he said, stifling a yawn.

"I think so too," added Thomas. "I'm ready to rest my eyes."

"Ohh…" Emily yawned sleepily. "We look forward to the rest of your story, James. We'll help you, no matter what needs to happen."

"Thanks, you two," smiled James. "And goodnight."

"Sweet dreams, Emily, and James," said Thomas as he shut his eyes.

"Sleep well, Thomas and James," smiled Emily. Then she fell asleep beside her two friends. James had only one more evening of stories to tell…about how difficulty set in for him and how his mission took a wrong turn. Then, they would know all.

* * *

Sorry for another long wait guys, but it's finally here. Just to let you know guys, I've just started college and as such, I'm going be really busy, and I won't be responding to any reviews tonight as I'm too tired after college today. So I'll most likely respond to you guys tomorrow, but on the plus side, Season 21 is finally starting next week, this were actually more than just five episodes like the last two seasons. So tell us what you thought of the chapter, and I'll see you guys next time with the next installment of "A Cracked Ruby".


	7. Difficulty Setting In

It was a clear, quiet night. Thomas and Emily were settled in Knapford Sheds for the night, leaving a free track in the middle for James to come along and continue with his story. Both engines were beginning to wonder about something.

"How much more do you think James has to tell, Emily?" asked Thomas.

"Who can say, Thomas?" said Emily. "We've heard so much from him the past five evenings. We have to know everything before we do anything to help him."

"I agree," said Thomas. "He may have been troublesome in the past, but I actually really want him to get back with Molly."

"So do I, Tommy," said Emily. "That would surely give him much more happiness, and as such, it would make him more useful."

Just then, James arrived between the two engines. He had told them so much about his relationship with Molly, how it started out quite well, how it shattered, and then how he tried to redeem himself and get her back. Now, he was due to tell his last part of the story.

"Welcome, James," said Thomas. "Are you ready to continue?"

"This is it, you two," said James. "This is the last evening of telling stories. You will both know all tonight." Thomas and Emily felt a sense of excitement and anticipation flow through them.

"Alright, James," said Emily. "Once we know everything, we'll have a clear view on what we can do to help."

"You've told us your story, now finish it, James," encouraged Thomas.

"Yes," said James. "I will." And so, James told his final chapter of his relationship with Molly, on how difficulty eventually set in for him…

* * *

After a rather sad Christmas Party with no one to enjoy it with, James' spirits were getting very low. He had tried so many things to prove his worth to Molly, and even though she took notice of some of his better deeds, she refused to let down her distrust and accept him again.

It wasn't until the following spring when James saw another chance. He, Edward and Henry were waiting outside their berths at Tidmouth Sheds. James was thinking to himself about what else he could do to peak Molly's interest again. He may have been heartbroken that past Christmas, but he was still determined to take his battle further to the bitter end if he stood any chance of breaking Molly's distrusting barrier. The tragedy of that Christmas, however did leave an impact that could prove problematic for James' redemption. After being so dashed during what was supposed to be the merriest holiday of the year, James began to feel a little conceited again. He wanted more important jobs rather than doing just about anything. He didn't want to think this way and wanted to find a way to pick himself up again.

Soon enough, the Fat Controller arrived. It had been raining hard. Muddy puddles were everywhere.

"Today is the Sodor Farm's Fair," said the Fat Controller. "One of you must collect Farmer McColl's sheep and take them to the fairground. Whichever engine takes the sheep will have his photograph taken. The photograph will be on the front page of the Sodor daily newspaper."

James' firebox fizzed. It was not often that engines made headlines in the Sodor newspaper, except when Thomas briefly went missing after he delayed the restoration of Great Waterton. James thought that if his picture appeared in the newspaper, Molly might catch a glimpse of it and became curious. It could mean that he'd encounter her again and lift him up after such a tragic Christmas.

"Please, sir," he said. "Can I take the sheep and have my photograph taken for the front page? After all, I am the cleanest and brightest red engine on Sodor."

"Very well, James," said the Fat Controller. "You must go straight to Farmer McColl's farm. The Fair starts at teatime. You mustn't be late."

So James chuffed off cheerfully, with the thought of appearing in the newspaper fresh in his smokebox. He felt like it would make him famous in some way, and never did he think that he could get that chance from doing something as simple as collecting sheep for a Fair.

Farmer McColl was waiting for James at the farm. "Hello, James. Katie and my sheep are washed and ready to go," said Farmer McColl. "I want them to be the cleanest and smartest animals at the Fair. Then they'll have their photographs on the newspaper's front page."

"I will keep them as clean and smart as I am, sir," promised James. "I too am to have my picture taken and no one would want to photograph a dirty engine."

"Good, James. Take the fastest and flattest track to the Fair," said Farmer McColl. "You must be on time and my sheep must not be joggled."

Katie bounded into James' cab. James liked Katie. She was a very faithful and hard-working sheepdog and it reminded James of how much he wanted to work hard for Molly's sake.

"See you at the fair, Farmer McColl!" and James puffed proudly away. James huffed to a halt at a junction. There were two tracks to the fairground. One track was wet and muddy from the rain. The other track was old and bumpy from the dry.

James puffed puzzled. "Farmer McColl told me to take the fast, flat track," he said to himself. "But if I do that, I will get dirty and so will Katie and the sheep. Then no one would will want to put our photograph on the front page of the newspaper."

So James didn't take the fast, flat, wet track. He took the bumpy, dry track instead. James jumped and juddered along the bumpy track.

"Bubbling Boilers! This track is very bumpy!" he said. The sheep and the trailer jiggled and the lock on the trailer gate rattled open, but James didn't know. He was too busy being the proudest and cleanest engine on Sodor.

"Hopefully Farmer McColl won't mind me being just a little late. As long as the sheep and I are clean, the photographer will still be pleased," he said. Eventually, the track felt smooth again as he saw a station up ahead.

Suddenly, James heard a sigh from the station. It was definitely a female voice.

"Molly?" he said eagerly, but as he approached Maron Station, he saw he was wrong. James saw Emily collecting passengers. James had hoped to tell Molly about his special, but seeing as he was trying to make a good impression, he wanted to tell Emily all about his special. Perhaps talking with her in good nature would help him. He steamed to a stop.

"Hello, Emily. I'm taking Farmer McColl's sheep and his dog Katie to the fairground. I'm going to have my photograph taken for the front page of the daily newspaper."

Emily gasped. "Oh my, James! How grand! Will Katie and Farmer McColl's sheep be in the photograph too?"

"They might be…in the background," said James.

"What do you mean?" asked Emily.

"Well, Farmer McColl did say they'll have their photograph too, but I am the engine taking them to the Fair. I'll be the main detail of the photograph," said James proudly.

Then there was trouble. The sheep pushed open the unlocked trailer gate, they clattered onto the platform.

"Watch out, James!" cried Emily. "The sheep are running away!"

"Fenders and Fireboxes! Come back here!" called James. "Stop!" But the sheep weren't listening to James. They didn't want to go back in the trailer. Then another animal went running across the platform after the sheep. Katie barked. James was stern.

"No, Katie. You must stay clean in the cab!" he said. "I will find the sheep." Katie came prancing back, still barking as she hopped back inside James. And James steamed slowly forwards until he saw the sheep, munching grass at the end of a field.

"The fastest track to the end of the field is wet and muddy," said James. "I shall take the long track there and stay clean for the photographer." James was pleased with his plan. So he chuffed carefully away on the very long track.

As he took the long track, however, he began to realize something. He was being careful about how he looked, as if that was more important than being on time. He began to remember when he helped Thomas, Percy and Emily see the Festival of Lights in spite of getting covered in coal dust, quarry dust and fish. Even though Molly avoided him after he helped his friends, James still felt happy to go to that trouble and still be called really useful.

"I've got to break past this pride!" he said to himself. "It's what Molly would want, even if she doesn't trust me. If anything, being conceited will only make matters worse." Fortunately, James began to hear several "Baa," sounds. Katie poked her head outside of James' cab and began sniffing the air. James could see the sheep in the field up ahead. He chuffed up just as the last sheep was moving away.

"Bother!" he said. Katie barked. James snorted. "No, Katie. You must stay clean. I have another good idea. We will take the long dry track to find the sheep."

James huffed to a halt by a field. The sheep were chewing the grass. Katie was happy to see her sheep. She barked and barked. James smiled.

"Well done, Katie. My plan is working," said James. "When you bark, the sheep will come to you in my cab. All I have to do is wait and be clean."

Soon, all the sheep had gathered by James. Katie stopped barking.

"Hurrah for me!" James was so pleased with himself, he let out the loudest and longest whistle. The sheep jumped in surprise. They ran and they raced away, right through the mud in the field.

"Fenders and Fireboxes! This is a disaster! I promised I would keep the sheep clean, and now they are dirty! I promised to take them to the Fair, and now they're running away! I wanted to have my photograph on the front page of the Sodor newspaper, and now…no one will want my photograph…and Molly won't see me gain some fame." James sighed…then he heard a rattle on the track. It was Thomas and Percy.

"Hello, James," said Thomas. "We're off to the Fair."

"Farmer McColl is waiting for you there. He is very excited to see his sheep in the show," added Percy. And Thomas and Percy whooshed away.

"Farmer McColl is waiting for me to bring Katie and his sheep. I cannot let him down! It doesn't matter if we're dirty, we have to be there!" Katie barked. She could see the sheep running away to the farm.

"Run and round up your sheep, Katie!" ordered James. "I will whoosh down the muddy track to meet you by the farm!" So James' driver let Katie go, and James whooshed like the wind on the muddy wet track. Soon, James was no longer James the Bright Red Engine. He was James the Muddy Messy One, but James didn't mind.

James pulled up to Farmer McColl's halt. Katie and the sheep were waiting for him. They were covered in mud, but James didn't mind.

"All aboard for the Fair!" he called. Katie jumped back into James' cab and the sheep jumped back inside the trailer before James' driver locked the gate again.

"Now I will whoosh like the wind down the fast, flat and wet track!" At last, James arrived at the fairground. He was covered from fender to footplate.

"James, whatever has happened to you?" exclaimed the Fat Controller.

"Oh my! How splendid!" said the photographer. "A hard-working engine with his sheep and sheepdog straight from the fields! That's the photograph I need for the front page!"

James beamed from buffer to buffer, so a very muddy James had his photograph with Katie the muddy sheepdog, Farmer McColl, the Fat Controller and lots of muddy sheep. James had never been happier to be the dirtiest engine on Sodor. Many people across the island who read the newspaper managed to glimpse James' picture with the sheep and the Fat Controller. James himself felt good too. He could see that being filthy didn't change the fact that he still worked hard and brought the sheep to the Fair. But he was also wondering if Molly would find out about his photograph…

Meanwhile at Crovan's Gate Station, Molly was running passenger duties. She had not heard anything about any photographs or about James' muddy matter to get the sheep to the Fair. As she looked around, her eye suddenly fell on one man sitting on the platform's bench reading the newspaper. She saw James' picture right on the front page.

"J-James?" she stammered. "He made the Sodor newspaper…but how?" Indeed, Molly did become curious. She looked at the photograph again. She could see that James was in a mess along with the sheep and Katie, but she still wanted to know how he made the papers even in such a muddy situation. She disliked him deeply for hurting Emily and found it rather ironic that he would make the front page. She decided she'd ask him straight out what this mean after her passenger duties were done for the day…

That evening, after the Fair was over, James was taking the sheep and Katie back to Farmer McColl's farm. At the halt, as the sheep were unloaded from their wagon, Farmer McColl called for Katie. She barked and jumped out of James' cab and back to her owner.

"Hmm, you need a bath, Katie," he said.

"Farmer McColl?" James asked carefully. "I am sorry your sheep and dog became so muddy. I know you said to keep them clean. But all the fast tracks were wet and muddy. I wanted myself and the sheep to stay clean, so I took a longer, but bumpy track. They escaped their wagon and I tried to get them back…but then I whistled with joy, making them run through so much mud."

"Well, they may have been messy, and I understand you wanted them to stay clean, but in the end, you still had a muddy matter to go through…but I did not think the photographer would be pleased to see you or my sheep like this, James," said Farmer McColl. "You worked hard to retrieve them and that shows that you've been really useful."

"And we all appeared in the Sodor newspaper," added James.

"Very nice, I must say," said Farmer McColl. "Now you go off to a washdown, James. You deserve it for all your help today."

At the washdown, James began thinking about Molly again. If she did see the photograph, what would she think? He didn't know if she'd appreciate all the hard work he did, or if she'd just shun him again for looking dirty for everyone to laugh at. He suddenly heard an engine coming up from behind him. Molly had finished her passenger duties and came to look for him. She stopped right beside him and spoke up.

"James?" she said. James gasped and looked beside himself.

"Molly?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Exactly how did you end up in the newspaper, being the engine that you are?" she asked suspiciously.

"You…you saw the newspaper today?" asked James.

"Yes, I did. How the blazes did you slip into the newspapers with such a dislikable reputation from some, if not plenty of engines?"

James did not like being called dislikable, even if it was the truth. But he had to explain his point.

"The Fat Controller said whoever brought Farmer McColl's sheep to the Farm Fair today would have their photograph taken to appear in the newspaper. I did it partly because I wanted people to see my splendid appearance…but there's another reason. Last Christmas, I felt destroyed because I had no one to spend it with…I spent the whole part at Knapford feeling lonely and awful. After the party, I almost tried to join you when you were idling at the station by yourself…but I decided to leave you be. I took this job because I wanted to pick myself up after feeling so terrible during such a merry holiday…and to impress you."

Molly was surprised to hear this. She didn't notice James pass by her when she was humming carols to herself. That made her feel that he still considered her feelings, at least a little bit. She also felt a little guilty that she avoided him and caused him to feel so sad. No one should feel that terrible during Christmas…but at the same time, she was still not convinced and she felt that she didn't cause his sadness.

"Well…" she said, "I didn't know you felt so terrible last Christmas, and I didn't see you decide to leave me be…but I think you brought that upon yourself. You wouldn't have felt so bad if you never hurt Emily in the first place! I didn't throw you away! You did that yourself!"

"I know, Molly, and it was foolish of me to hurt Emily so badly," James replied.

"Don't think that appearing in the newspaper changes anything!" snapped Molly. "You only wanted that job for the attention! I can see you're trying to impress me, but I will not get over the fact that you lied to me about Emily for such a long time. You can enjoy your photograph as much as you want, but count me out of this! Huh!" and she huffed on to be by herself.

James sighed with disappointment. Molly was right that he wanted the job for attention…at first. He did catch onto the fact that the sheep were just as important as any job. All he wanted was to feel better after a scarred Christmas. James felt bad, but he didn't want to give up. It wasn't easy, but he kept his hopes up for anything that would grab Molly's attention…and something that would not make her accuse him of seeking attention…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, Thomas and Emily were a little surprised by what they had heard.

"Hmm…so she felt pity for you," said Thomas.

"But not very much," moaned James. "Maybe she's right. Maybe I did bring it on myself by being so terrible to you, Emily."

"Don't think about that, James," soothed Emily. "Just think about us helping you. You will be happy again. I promise."

"When was the next chance you saw, James?" asked Thomas.

"When you, Percy and I helped to restore Ulfstead Castle…" said James. And he continued…

* * *

It wasn't until the Earl arrived and announced his intentions to restore Ulfstead Castle that James found another opportunity to impress Molly. One that he had never expected to happen. Henry had been assigned to pull a heavy goods train to Ulfstead Castle to help with the restoration, but his safety valve had burst and he couldn't go take the train.

The Fat Controller had heard the news and had to find someone else to take the load. The only big engine other than Henry was Gordon, but he was of course too busy with his coaches. So he decided to get a few other engines to take the train the rest of the way.

"James!" he called. James stopped right at the platform.

"Yes, sir?" he asked.

"Henry was supposed to deliver a long goods train to the Earl's Estate, but his safety valve has burst. You must go to the docks and collect the train for him."

James became quite excited. Pulling an important train was one thing, but considering that it was for the Earl, James thought this would be a good way to bounce back after his Christmas disappointment with Molly. He thought if he worked very hard on such a grand job, she'd take notice again.

"Oh, of course, I'll do the job, sir! Thank you!" whistled James as he raced away for the docks. What the Fat Controller didn't tell James was that he was calling on two other engines to help him as even James couldn't pull such a long, heavy train on his own.

When James arrived at Brendam Docks, he looked around for Henry's goods train and sure enough, he saw a long line of trucks full of supplies and equipment for the castle.

"Oh, yes," he smiled. "Everything is here for me to deliver. The Fat Controller must be really counting on me."

But then Percy arrived. He had been called on by the Fat Controller too.

"Hello, James," he peeped. "Guess what…I'm going to the Earl's estate. The Fat Controller has asked me to take this heavy goods train there."

"Think again, Percy," said James smugly. "The Fat Controller asked ME to pull this train, not you."

"But Toby said that I was to take it," Percy replied.

"Toby?! Since when does he tell other engines what to do?"

"Hello everyone!" Called Thomas' voice from behind. "The Fat Controller has sent me to take this heavy goods train to the Earl's estate."

"But he's already asked ME," protested Percy.

"No Percy," quarreled James. "You said Toby asked you." James stubbornly backed into position to pull the long train. "James!"

"That's not fair!" So Thomas and Percy pulled in front of him.

"Get out of the way!" ordered James. "This is my train!"

"No James! The Fat Controller said-"

"Hello, Percy, Thomas and James." The Fat Controller was right there. "I'm glad to see you're all ready to go."

"Ready to go, sir?" asked Percy, puzzled.

"Tell them to move, sir," complained James. "They're blocking my way."

"Please sir," said Thomas. "Tell us who you'd like to pull this heavy goods train."

"Why all of you, of course. This train is much too heavy for any of you to pull alone. You'll have to work together."

"Together?" said Percy questionably.

"Together..." repeated James, in a much more skeptical tone.

"Together!" repeated Thomas, full of confidence they could all do it. So Percy, Thomas and James were all coupled to the trucks and off they went to the Earl's estate. At first, James was exasperated. He wanted to take the goods train alone so he could prove to Molly not only that he was a strong engine, but how he wanted to help the Earl. She would surely be amazed by that prospect. But when as the cavalcade started to move, James could already feel a struggle in his wheels. Even with Thomas and Percy pulling the train with him, it was still a big effort. Now James understood why he and the other two engines had to work together.

Slowly, but surely, all three engines were on their way to Ulfstead Castle with the heavy important load.

"I take back my words at the docks, Thomas and Percy," James said aloud. "I didn't think it would be this difficult to pull this train."

"Well, James," groaned Thomas. "It's no surprise that Henry can pull such long loads by himself. All three of us together is still hard work. He pulls twenty trucks easy as pie."

"Much better than Diesel's silly efforts with those locked brakes on the trucks," joked Percy.

As they went along, the trucks played their usual tricks but that didn't stop the engines. After working with trucks for so many years, they were not going to be stopped anytime soon. Dealing with the trucks' silly games seemed to become routine for most engines and no matter what, they always managed to get their trains delivered on time. All Percy and James thought about was getting to the Earl's estate on time and that is what kept them going. As for Thomas, he kept thinking about Emily. Memories about her were fuel to his fire and he smiled to himself as they worked hard up Gordon's Hill. But besides thinking about the Earl's estate, James was secretly thinking about Molly a little bit. He thought about what she would think of him helping out at the castle, or if she would even take notice. He decided he would press on and just start work at the castle so his thoughts about her wouldn't distract him.

"We can do it!" puffed James.

"We WILL do it!" huffed Thomas and Percy together. Soon they came to the top and sped down the other way. It looked a little scary to all three engines but they made their way down the side track safely and huffed on. At last, they came to the hill leading up to the estate. The trucks thought this would be a good chance for more fun.

"Hold back. Hold back!" they cried. The three engines felt the drag of the heavy train and struggled to keep them moving at a good pace. They were almost about to give up, but Percy found the strength to keep puffing forward against the trucks. Thomas and James quickly found the same strength and followed Percy's example, something Percy had been hoping for. Wheel-turn by wheel-turn, the three engines struggled, panted and steamed up the hill until they finally reached the top.

 _"This is it,"_ James thought. _"Now I can get to work and see if Molly will pay any attention to this soon-to-be magnificence!"_

After Thomas was greeted by Jack the front loader after such a long time, the heavy goods train was split up. James and Percy took the building materials, while Thomas shunted the crates and containers onto a new siding. He was just nearing the platform when the Earl stopped him.

"What? Hold on now," said the Earl. "That crate was meant to go to the Steamworks, Thomas," said the Earl.

"The Steamworks? Oh," said Thomas. "But what is it, sir?"

"Is it something for Victor?" asked James.

"For Victor? Can I take it? Please, sir? Please?" peeped Percy.

"I can take it!" smiled Thomas.

"I think the Earl would prefer a splendid engine like me to take it, wouldn't you, sir?" The Earl chuckled as he boarded Thomas.

"If you're all so curious, why don't we take it together?" he asked.

"You don't need three engines to pull one flatbed," said James.

"OK, James. You can stay behind," peeped Percy cheekily as he joined Thomas. But James became curious. What did this crate contain? Why did the Earl have it? If restoring Ulfstead Castle was a grand job, what would the crate mean?

"No! I want to go too! Wait for me!" called James. The three engines ended up going altogether with the special crate and the Earl. On their way, they stopped at a signal. James called out to the Earl in Thomas' cab.

"Sir? What is in this crate, and why is it being taken to the Steamworks?"

"Inside the crate is something very old and very special," replied the Earl. "Wait and see, James."

At the Steamworks, James' chance to discover this little secret came. After the Earl ordered the crate to be lifted, Victor had the crate lifted up and opened. Thomas, James and Percy could see a very old, very interesting machine-like form slowly turning around.

"Wow," they said together. James was secretly more intrigued than Thomas and Percy by this…thing. He had never seen anything like it.

"Meet my friend…Stephen!" said the Earl as the face came into view.

"Surprise!" said the old, strange machine, as a part of him fell off causing him to blush with embarrassment.

"Hello, Stephen," smiled Thomas.

"I've never seen an engine like you before," breathed Percy.

"You mean an engine with woodworm and rust holes?" chuckled Stephen. "No one's seen me in a long time. I haven't turned my wheels in years."

"I'm not surprised," said Thomas.

"You know, I think there's something wrong with your boiler," said Percy. Indeed, his boiler did look old, rusty and idle.

"And your funnel. Not to mention your paintwork," added James, looking at the bumpy, aged funnel and dusty appearance of the engine.

Stephen was left at the Steamworks to be restored for when Ulfstead Castle would be finished with the restoration.

Thomas asked the Earl, "Sir, I was wondering…well, all the engines are wondering, what is your plan? Why are you building the castle? And laying new tracks? And what's inside all your crates?"

The Earl laughed. "All in good time, Thomas. You'll find out soon enough. It's all part of my big surprise!"

"What about Stephen, sir? Is he part of the big surprise too?" asked Thomas.

"I have a special job for Stephen. A very special job, but it's best not to say anything to him just yet, Thomas. There's a lot of work to do before he can start," answered the Earl.

"OK, sir. I won't say anything. I promise."

James wanted to tell Molly about Stephen, but reluctantly chose not to so as to respect the Earl's request to wait and see. He still had an entire castle to restore with Thomas and Percy.

 _"What will she appreciate more? The castle being restored, or Stephen getting back in business?"_ he thought to himself.

It was a tough call to make. After a while thinking to himself, he figured it would be best not to tell her during the restoration. Perhaps he could please her with a surprise when it was all finished. It would be unexpected and hopefully pleasant for her. He had not done that yet and this gave him yet another ray of hope to lead her back to loving him.

 _"Give it time,"_ he thought before the Earl spoke again.

"You three?" he said. "I would greatly appreciate it if you could bring some more supplies to Ulfstead Castle. If we can work until sunset, we'll be much closer to my big surprise for Stephen."

"I'd certainly be glad to help, sir," said James. "Thomas? Percy?"

"Alright," said Thomas. "I'd like to see such a grand place come back."

The Earl sent Thomas and Percy to gather wooden sleepers from the Timber Mill and he sent James to gather iron rails to install at the estate.

As James made his way to the Ironworks, his mind began to flood with images of Molly again. Although he looked forward to showing her the castle once it was finished, he was beginning to acknowledge that he had been fighting this battle for a several years now with very little progress. At first, Molly had been avoiding him at all costs, but slowly she began to pay attention to some of his good deeds. And yet, through it all, she still didn't trust him for lying to her and hurting Emily so much behind her back. It was at this point that James was beginning to lose the confidence he had before. He didn't want to give up on her. He loved her so much, he didn't want to lose her by giving up.

He gathered the iron rails and thought about her all the way back to the castle. Back there, the three engines got back to work on restoration. Form Thomas and Percy's train, workmen laid down the stones and wooden sleepers throughout the estate. From James' train, more workmen laid the rails on the sleepers and lined them up properly before spikes were hammered into place with sledge hammers. As more rails were installed, Thomas, Percy and James slowly explored small portions of the estate, becoming more excited about finishing the work. They also wanted to see how Stephen would get back in business.

At last at sunset, the three engines decided to call it a night and went home. James said nothing, still thinking about his Shining Sun…

When they returned to Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas was happy to see Emily was there…and Spencer was not. After settling into their berths, Thomas, Percy and James told the other engines about Stephen.

"What did he look like again?" asked Gordon.

"He had wood around his boiler, and a crooked funnel," explained Percy.

"And he looked like he'd been left in a scrapyard for a long time too," said James.

"He's an old design. Older than any engine I'd ever seen," remarked Thomas.

"I'd like to see him for myself," said Edward.

"So would I," added Emily. So all the engines agreed to meet Stephen the next day.

After James fell asleep with most of the other engines, Thomas and Emily spent a little while stargazing until they fell asleep too. James suddenly woke up again, constantly thinking of what Molly would think if she learned about Ulfstead Castle becoming useful again after a few centuries. He also thought a lot about how Stephen would impress her or at least grab her attention. He was still busy helping Thomas and Percy with the restoration, but what would she think about Stephen, especially when he was restored? Edward was the oldest engine on Sodor for a long time, but Stephen was even older. James wondered if he was full of surprises too.

"There's much to do and little time to do it in," he whispered. "If only Molly could see that castle and Stephen sooner. I will have to work feverishly to get all of this done for her…"

Over the coming weeks, everyone at the Steamworks worked hard to restore the old engine. Thomas and his friends came by whenever they could. They wanted to see how the work was progressing. James chose not to visit as often. Sometimes he stayed at Ulfstead Castle by himself, taking more supplies to the site or just watching over the progress of the castle. But without Thomas and Percy's support, there wasn't much he could do anyway. The workmen had enough supplies already.

As he kept reporting back every day, the castle kept looking grander and grander. He was quite excited to see how Molly would react to such a place, but he also had some fears that she would once again accuse him of taking the job just for the attention, like he did with Farmer McColl's sheep. But having Stephen return to business gave him more hope. She'd at least like getting to know him.

A few days later, when Thomas and Percy, as well as a few other engines paid a visit to the Steamworks to check Stephen's progress, James went back to the castle by himself, trying desperately to keep up his usefulness.

"James, what are you doing here by yourself?" asked the Earl. "The workmen have done lots of work here over the weeks already and you're the only one here. Where are Thomas and Percy? I have another important job for them."

"They're visiting Stephen as he's being restored," said James. "But I know how important this castle is to you. I really want to keep the restoration going for your sake, sir."

"It's good that you want to work hard, James," said the Earl. "But your friends must help you too. You can't do all of this work on your own."

"Perhaps you're right," said James. "I need my team back. When Stephen is restored, I'll see if we can all work together again."

Soon, Stephen was shiny and new. His funnel was straightened, his boiler had been fixed, and he'd been given his own tender, a whistle and a fresh coat of paint.

When James came to see him, he was impressed. Stephen looked brand new all over again, and he was in a yellow coat of paint, just like Molly. Seeing this made James think of her again.

 _"Oh my, my,"_ he thought. _"What will Molly say?"_

"Now you look really useful again!" praised Thomas.

"You look brand-new again, Stephen! You will be really useful indeed!" beamed Emily.

But with all the engines visiting Stephen so commonly, the Fat Controller decided to get them all back to work. Thomas was about to leave too when the Fat Controller spoke up again.

"Wait Percy. Thomas and James too. The Earl of Sodor has asked me if you could help him with a special job…I don't know what he's up to, but he's an old friend. I want to help him in any way I can."

"Thank you, sir. We'll do our best," said Thomas. Thomas and his friends were very excited, but Stephen looked a little sad.

"You're so lucky, Thomas," he said. "Being useful is very important."

"Come on, Thomas. We should go," called James. Then an idea flew into Thomas' funnel. "Maybe I should tell Stephen the Earl has a job for him," he told James.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Thomas," replied James.

"The Earl said not to tell him yet," added Percy.

"But he looks so sad…I have to tell him. Just to cheer him up."

James and Percy wondered if Thomas was doing the right thing…but Stephen just laughed. "Are you sure about that, Thomas? I'm an antique."

"Then why did the Earl send you to the Steamworks to be repaired?" asked Thomas.

"I don't know, Thomas. But I've seen people do all sorts of things that don't make any sense…or maybe he wants to make tea in my boiler!" Stephen joked, then laughed.

"No! He has a proper job for you," beamed Thomas.

"Does he?"

"Yes! You'll see, Stephen. The Earl of Sodor is full of surprises."

"Come on, Thomas! The Earl is expecting us!" whistled James. So Thomas set off with Percy and James back to Ulfstead Castle.

"Thomas, I really don't think you should have told Stephen about him having a new job," said James.

"Why, James? He looked sad and I wanted to lift his spirits," said Thomas.

"You could have done that in many other ways, Thomas," corrected James. "Like telling him to wait and see, or that he'll be back in business soon. But now, you've got him all worked up and excited."

That day, Emily and Millie had been talking to each other and became quite good friends. Now, Emily was on her way back to work. After greeting her briefly as she left, Percy, Thomas and James climbed up the steep track to the estate. The castle looked very different now that it was being restored. James had already seen it and didn't feel as much excitement as the other two engines.

"Wow!" exclaimed Percy. "The castle looks amazing!" added Thomas.

"We've all been working hard to get it ready," said Jack.

"Has the Earl asked us here to take all this dirt away?" inquired James. "That doesn't seem like a special job!" But then, Millie pulled up alongside James with the Earl.

"That's not your special job, James," he said. "Follow me!" So Percy, Thomas and James followed Millie towards the castle. The rails heading towards the castle were dual gauge, which allowed for standard and narrow gauge engines to travel on the same track. As they puffed towards the castle, the drawbridge lowered down, revealing the inside of the castle. Once they entered the castle, they were spellbound by the incredible sight before their eyes.

"Bubbling Boilers!"

"Cinders and ashes!"

"Wow!"

 _"This is impressive!"_ thought James. _"It's even better than I imagined! Molly MUST see this!"_

Percy, Thomas and James wondered what kind of special job the Earl had in mind for them. They found out soon enough. It was helping the men to build a roof over part of the castle.

 _"This is going to be tough work…I can only hope it'll be worth it for Molly…building a roof for a castle…"_

They were coupled to some flatbeds which held a tall platform that was being used to raise the roof beams. The engines would have to move it to the right place for each beam. They never had a job like this before. They would all have to work together…but deep down inside, all Thomas could think about was Emily. After catching a glimpse of her on his way up, he kept wishing she could be there helping him. But thinking about her also fueled his strength and will to get the job done with Percy and James.

Deep down inside, James was only thinking about Molly. With all this hard work to get through, he hoped she'd appreciate his efforts. Just like Thomas thought about Emily, thinking about Molly fueled James' strength and will to work hard too. He had to move slowly and carefully with Thomas and Percy to make sure nothing went wrong.

"Bust my boiler! This is hard work!" he strained. Foot by foot, yard by yard, he and the other two engines carefully hauled the roof beam closer to where it was meant to be. James felt proud that he was working so hard.

But then Percy was working harder than usual. A few tools fell and bumped off James.

"Easy Percy," he said.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wobble," peeped Percy.

"Calm down and pay attention," boasted James.

"You both need to pay attention," cautioned Thomas. Then there was trouble! Thomas started moving forward too quickly and too suddenly, causing the platform to shake and wobble uneasily. "Thomas! Stop!" wailed Percy. All the vibrations made a roof beam come loose. It fell from the platform and kicked up a lot of dust. Luckily, no one was hurt.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Thomas.

"I am," breathed Percy.

"I'm not!" groaned James. "My paintwork is covered in dust! I need to go to the washdown!"

"You can't go to the washdown now, James. We need to carry on with our work, or the castle won't be ready in time," said Thomas.

"And I suppose my paintwork is not important," huffed James, but regardless he continued with the job.

It took quite a time to clear the mess while the three engines prepared to realign the beam. James was not happy to be so dusty after they were nearly finished with the first beam. Soon, the three engines were ready to align the next roof beam. They all hauled slowly and carefully together. This time, no mess was caused. James wanted to work harder than the other engines, but then decided not to. He didn't want to cause another mess and have Molly rebuff him for it. At last, the final beam was put into place. The job was done. The workers cheered for the three engines and the Earl was very impressed with the efforts.

"I am very proud of you. You all worked marvellously together. Soon, everything will be ready for the big surprise."

"I bet I know what it is. Are you the King of Sodor, sir?" asked Percy.

"No, Percy. I'm not the King of Sodor."

"Oh? Then what is the surprise?"

"Come outside and I'll show you."

"And then, can I go to the washdown, Sir?" asked James.

"Of course you can, James, of course you can," the Earl answered. James felt better. _"Well, at least all this hard work means I'll be rewarded for it,"_ he thought to himself. But as they made their way out of the Ulfstead estate, Thomas, James and Percy were amazed to see what was inside the Earl's crates, there were thrones and catapults, flags and tapestries, old statues, shields and sets of armor from all over the world!

"Oh, Emily," Thomas whispered to himself. "If only you could see everything now..."

"Look, Thomas. More metal men! Thomas, that one's moving! It's live."

"I think you'll find it has a helping hand, Percy!" Thomas was right. Some workmen were adjusting the armor.

"It's all part of my big surprise," said the Earl onboard Millie. "I am re-opening Ulfstead Castle to the public. Visitors will come from far and wide to see my collection of medieval treasures."

"And the King's Golden Crown?" asked Thomas.

"Ah…no, Thomas. Sadly the only thing missing is King Godred's Golden Crown."

"But guess what, Thomas," chirped Millie. "Your friend, Stephen is going to be the castle guide."

"Oh, that's right!" blurted the Earl. "You can tell Stephen about his new job now if you want to, Thomas."

"And can I go to the washdown now?" asked James.

"Yes, James, of course you can!" James whistled with pride and reversed, just as Jack began to overflow a truck full of stone.

"Oh, bother," said the Earl. "I still need you three to take all those troublesome trucks away."

James wanted to help, but something was beginning to pull him back from wanting to work hard at any cost. He was still hurting from his ruined Christmas and his disappointment with Farmer McColl's sheep and decided to just take his chance to be washed now and get back to work later. He took off down the hill before Thomas or Percy could call out and he made his way to the first water tower he could find.

"Finally," he sighed. "A chance to shine again…sort of." He tapered off as he remembered being called "Radiant Ruby," but ever since Molly cracked him, he felt like he couldn't truly shine until she forgave him.

"Oh well," he said. "I should just enjoy the wash while I can."

James was very happy to be having a washdown when the same sleek engines who passed Hiro shot past the washdown! "What was that?" cried James. He had never seen such speed and from what he saw in that second, he had never seen such sleek engines.

 _"Goodness me! This'll be something else to tell Molly,"_ he thought to himself before beaming again at being clean. A few minutes later, he saw a familiar form stop beside him. It was Molly, looking rather dusty and looking forward to a wash herself. When she saw James, she frowned impatiently at him.

"What are you beaming over, James?" she hissed. "Another picture in the Sodor newspaper, I suppose…or you're off to the Mainland just for all the attention!"

James replied, "Yes, I am beaming Molly. But no, I did NOT appear in any papers, and no, I am not off to the mainland anytime soon."

"Then what's the smirk for?" asked Molly.

James wanted to tell Molly about Stephen and the castle, but remembered what he thought before.

"…I'm actually not going to tell you yet," James replied. "If I told you now, you wouldn't be convinced. You'll just have to wait." At that moment, James was clean and he huffed on his way.

"Huh!" said Molly as she took her place at the water tower and started being washed herself.

 _"What is he hiding this time?"_ she thought. _"He hasn't said anything for quite a while. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's bound to be something only he's proud of."_ But Molly's expectations were to be quite different when the time came. She did not know she was in for a mild surprise from the castle, and from meeting Stephen…

It turned out during that entire day, Stephen had been exploring some parts of Sodor, looking for his new job Thomas had vaguely mentioned and trying to make a good show of himself. He first tried Brendam Docks, only to be teased by Diesel and Cranky. Then he tried his job at Blue Mountain Quarry, only to pull one truck of stone. He had asked Skarloey if he knew of any mines and Skarloey mentioned that there was one by Ulfstead Castle Ruins.

Stephen was now on the sloping of the castle…when he noticed the track to the old mine.

"Right. This may well be my last chance. Best try to make a good show of myself," he said. Stephen made his way along the overgrown track, but when he finally reached the entrance to the mine, he found it was boarded up.

"It's true…no one works here anymore. Thomas was wrong. There isn't a job for me anywhere, I'm too slow, old and weak."

Back at the estate, Thomas and Percy were ready to push the troublesome trucks loaded with dirt away. The Earl thought they were too heavy for two small engines alone.

"I must call Sir Topham," he said. "I'll ask him to send James back to help." But Thomas didn't want to wait for James to come back. "I'm sure Percy and I can manage, sir," said Thomas. He wanted to tell Stephen all about his new job. As they started off, Percy became very cautious about something.

"Hold on, Thomas! Shouldn't one of us be at the front?" asked Percy. "What happens when we get to the top of the slope?"

But it was too late! The troublesome trucks were already on the slope. They started to pull forward, dragging Thomas and Percy behind them!

"Cinders and ashes!" shouted Thomas. The troublesome trucks were too heavy to stop! "Faster, faster!" they yelled. They continued to plunge down the slope…right down the overgrown track! Stephen could hear a noise coming toward him.

"That sounds like…a runaway train!" he shouted as he lunged forward. There was only one way to go. Stephen broke right through the wooden barrier of the mine. This sent a huge body of boulders crumbling down from above and blocking the entrance, stopping the runaway train.

"Cinders and ashes, Percy! That was a close call," gasped Thomas. He and Percy pulled the heavy trucks back again, feeling very relieved. They didn't realize that poor Stephen was now trapped in the mine! Only his funnel was left standing, all on its own.

The Island of Sodor was buzzing with excitement of the Grand Opening of Ulfstead Castle. Visitors were hurrying across from the mainland to be there. All the engines were working hard to make sure everything was ready.

Thomas went to the Steamworks to find Stephen. "Hello, Victor. Where's Stephen?"

"I don't know, Thomas," said Victor. "He left in quite a hurry. He kept asking about his new job."

"His new job? He didn't even know what it was! Where could he have gone?" Thomas was worried about Stephen…and when he told James and Percy, they were worried too.

"See Thomas? The Earl warned you not to say anything to Stephen…now look what's happened!" said James.

"Nothing's happened. We'll find him," Thomas replied. So Thomas James and Percy set off to find Stephen. They asked everyone they met that'd they'd seen him.

"Sorry, Percy. I honestly can't say I've seen him," sighed Millie. "I don't think he came to the castle," said Jack.

James asked Cranky at the Docks. "That old fashioned engine? Eyah, he was here, James. Diesel had to tell him to keep out of the way."

"Well that doesn't help!" huffed James. Secretly, James was worried himself. How did Stephen go missing? Would he be able to help his friends find this special engine and would Molly be grateful for his efforts to find Stephen?

 _"This will surely stain my efforts to surprise Molly,"_ he thought. _"If we lose Stephen, we waste all the hard work…and I'll be thrown back several steps from getting my Shining Sun back. Please come back, Stephen. Please do!"_ While Thomas and Percy only wondered and worried about Stephen, James decided to search the island for Stephen. He searched high and he searched low. He searched near and he searched far. Everywhere he went, he kept calling out for Stephen. "Hello! Stephen? Where are you?" But there was no answer. In his concern, James didn't think to stop anywhere. He just kept rolling along across the island, calling out to Stephen to no avail.

 _"Oh no,"_ he thought. _"How am I supposed to surprise Molly at this rate? No Stephen, no surprise."_ He could only imagine her rebuffing him and blaming him for something he didn't cause. This made his hopes begin to waver once again. As such, he couldn't search much longer. He had to put his searching to rest for the night. He called off his search and returned to the yards where Thomas and Percy were waiting.

"James, we were wondering about you," said Thomas. "Where were you?"

"All over, Thomas," said James. "I was looking for Stephen myself, but he's nowhere to be seen."

"What can this mean?" said Percy. "All Stephen did was go and try to find his job…"

"This isn't good," said Thomas. "We have to set this right, and quickly. Ulfstead Castle will be ready any day now!"

Back at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas told the other engines that Stephen was missing.

"He couldn't have gone very far, Thomas," said Gordon, being sensible for a change.

"But he might be in danger," worried Thomas.

"Well you shouldn't have told him he had a job when he didn't!" huffed Gordon.

"But Stephen DOES have a job to do for the Earl!" insisted Thomas. "We all have to find him and make sure he's safe!"

Most of the engines fell asleep, ready to help Stephen the next morning, but Thomas and Emily were more worried. They stared at the night sky in deep thought.

"Maybe it was me," Thomas thought with guilt. "I shouldn't have told him about his job, otherwise he wouldn't have gone looking for it and got lost. The Earl told me not to say anything too soon…but I wanted to cheer Stephen up so he'd be happy.

"Don't blame yourself, Thomas," Emily said gently. "You wanted to cheer him up, and that was a very kind thing to do. Making someone happy is the best thing a friend can do…and you are the best friend I ever had."

"Thanks, Emily," murmured Thomas. "Tomorrow, we'll have to look long and hard to find Stephen and bring him back in time for Ulfstead Castle's opening."

"We'll find him, Thomas," said Emily. "We always figure out the problem and we always prevail if we work together and don't give up."

"For now, we should sleep, Emily…you and I can sleep together, now that we have each other's company…I still miss you when I work at the estate."

"So do I," whispered Emily. "Goodnight, Thomas. I'm happy you're home every night."

"Goodnight, Emily. See you tomorrow," whispered Thomas.

But while Thomas and Emily were talking until they fell asleep and began to dream together, James had been awake and listened to everything they said.

"What could have happened?" he whispered to himself. "How would Stephen go missing?" He began to think further back…until he remembered leaving for the washdown despite the Earl ordering him to help Thomas and Percy with the Troublesome Trucks.

"Could that have been a cause? That there was one engine less?" thought James. "…no, that couldn't be. Stephen had nothing to do with that. I'd better sleep on it and search harder tomorrow." So James fell asleep with a very full mind. Just as Thomas and Emily woke up from their dream and went back to sleep again, James began to dream himself…

 _James was all alone by himself…but he wasn't in a barren, dusty land under a grey sky. He was actually huffing along a flowery field under a bright morning sun, laughing pleasantly and full of joy just like he felt when he and Molly were still together. All around him, birds were singing and butterflies flew by him. It was a perfect place to be. A perfect world with no danger. James felt so content where he was, he couldn't help but be like a little child._

 _"Wait for me, butterfly!" he chimed and huffed quickly along the line after it, laughing even more until the butterfly few away. And in that moment…_

 _"James," said a voice. James looked ahead and saw a rainbow. At the base of that rainbow was one familiar face._

 _"Molly?" he whispered. Then suddenly, he took off as fast as he could towards his Shining Sun once again. At last, they were buffer to buffer and touching noses._

 _"I'm truly so sorry for everything I did to Emily," James whimpered._

 _"Shh…steady James. There, there," whispered Molly. "You and I are going to be resolved. Just hold on."_

 _"Why did this have to happen…to both of us?" James asked._

 _"Life isn't always pleasant," said Molly. "Hardships must be faced and difficulties must be overcome, but in the end, it's not in vain. Life is still worth it…and so are you."_

 _"I feel so lonely without you," said James. He buffered closer until his cheeks were touching Molly's. It felt so warm, gentle and soothing. Molly smiled and nuzzled her cheeks to James', keeping him safe and close._

 _"No matter what may happen to us, I'll always be with you, even if you can't see me," said Molly. "You have so much to be and to do, my Radiant Ruby…"_

James suddenly woke up and looked around with brief hope…but no. Molly was nowhere and it was all just a dream.

"Oh, my Shining Sun," he whimpered quietly. "I'm more than sorry, and I just want you back. I've GOT to find Stephen tomorrow and show Molly the castle." So James fell asleep again until morning would come…

The next morning, Thomas woke up all the engines early. He had only one thing on his mind.

"Come on, steamies! Get those boilers bubbling! We need to find our friend Stephen!" he whistled. James and Percy came out of their berths and Emily was just about to follow…

"Thomas, James, Percy? Where all you all going?" said a voice. It was the Fat Controller.

"Sorry, sir, but the Earl of Sodor's new engine Stephen has gone missing. We have to find him!" Just then, the Earl arrived.

"Has anyone seen Stephen?" he asked. "Victor says he left the Steamworks and hasn't come back! I need him for the opening of Ulfstead Castle, tomorrow!"

"Oh…I say," said the Fat Controller.

"Please sir," said Thomas. "May James, Percy and I help with the search?"

"Very well Thomas. I shall assign your jobs to other engines," agreed the Fat Controller.

"Thank you sir!" smiled Thomas. "Oh yes," added the Earl. "Thank you, Sir Topham."

"And I shall also alert the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre," promised the Fat Controller.

The engines searched every shunting yard, station and tunnel…there was no sign of Stephen anywhere. James scoured Knapford Station, the main line and wherever else he could look. Now, he took his time and stopped wherever he was looking to search even harder. But everywhere he looked on the main line, he found no sign of Stephen. He tried the Blue Mountain Quarry, asking the Skarloey Engines if they had seen him.

"He was here briefly, James," explained Skarloey. "He wanted to prove his strength, but ended up pulling only one truck before he left."

"He isn't here?" asked James.

"No, he isn't," said Rheneas.

Now James felt a little more accomplished, having clear answers. He knew for certain Stephen couldn't be here, so he kept looking. He tried Brendam Docks again, wondering if Stephen might have had a problem and broke down where no one would have noticed. He tried every shed and every siding, but did not find Stephen here either. He had already spoken to Cranky about the missing engine and moved on again.

Eventually, James was coming slowly towards the bottom of the Ulfstead estate. Thomas and Percy were looking around there when Percy noticed the overgrown track. "Wait Thomas, maybe we should check down there," suggested Percy.

"We know Stephen's not there, Percy," replied Thomas. "That's the track to the old mine. We went down there when the troublesome trucks ran away."

James overheard Percy from the distance and his heart suddenly stopped. He began to remember what the Earl had said while he was leaving for the washdown.

 _"Oh, bother,"_ said the Earl. _"I still need you three to take all those troublesome trucks away."_

James remembered that he didn't stay to help and just went to the washdown anyway. Now that he knew there was a runaway train down that track, he began to wonder that maybe he had caused this trouble.

 _"Maybe I shouldn't have gone to the washdown after all,"_ he thought guiltily.

"Maybe we should check anyway, Thomas. Just in case," said Percy.

"OK, Percy, I'll go," said Thomas. "You check round the quarry again."

"Don't worry, Thomas. We'll find Stephen," smiled Percy. Thomas pushed his way along the overgrown track. James heard him notice the funnel and Thomas briefly thought Stephen was there before he thought it was just some old funnel…then as Thomas almost left, James heard a whistle!

"Cinders and ashes! He IS here!" exclaimed Thomas. "Don't worry, Stephen! I'm coming to rescue you! But I need help to move all these rocks." As quick as his pistons could pump, Thomas hurried to Ulfstead Castle to fetch help.

 _"Oh dear, I was right!"_ James thought. _"Why didn't I help Thomas and Percy?! Stephen may have been curious about his new job, but if only I helped with those trucks, he wouldn't have gotten lost in the mine! How will I explain that to Molly?!"_

Then Thomas raced back to the old mine with Jack.

"Stephen!" Thomas called "I'm back, and I brought my friend Jack! He's a front loader. We're going to get you out of there, Stephen!" But Stephen didn't answer.

"This is a job for Jack! Don't worry, Thomas. I'll get this entrance cleared for you." Jack came up to the pile of boulders and gradually dug them away from the entrance. As soon as the entrance was cleared, Thomas rushed forward.

"Be careful, Thomas," cautioned Jack. The weak track shifted under his weight, but Thomas moved bravely over it and into the mine.

"Thomas! Is Stephen really there?" whistled James. But there was no answer. Then Percy came backing down the line and in front of James.

"James? Any sign of Stephen?" asked Percy.

"I think so," said James. "Thomas went down into that mine after he heard what I think was Stephen's whistle. We can only hope that he's down there." And at that moment, Thomas and Stephen came out of the mine, greeted by everyone's cheering.

"Stephen!" rejoiced the Earl. By this time, the news of Stephen's rescue had spread.

"You haven't all come to see me again, have you?" asked Stephen remembering that day at the Steamworks.

"Of course we have!" exclaimed the Earl. "YOU are a very important engine. We need to get you ready for the big day tomorrow."

"What did I tell you?" said Thomas.

"Sir, I found a big wooden chest. Inside was-" Stephen was cut short, when suddenly…the wooden supports broke underneath!

"Careful!" shouted the Earl. The rotted supports collapsed under Thomas and Stephen's weight, and Stephen's tender was dangling down from the broken rails and the weight was dragging Thomas and Stephen down. James was very scared for Stephen now, but Jack rushed to the rescue and hauled Stephen and Thomas back to safety.

"That's it! Hurrah!" cheered the Earl. "Bravo, Jack! Bravo, Thomas! Now, we must all get ready. Tomorrow is going to be a really special day."

While Thomas went on his way to the yards to see Emily, James and Percy helped Stephen to the Steamworks to be repaired once again.

"Thank goodness you've been found, Stephen!" whistled James. "You must have been frightened in that mine!"

"I was, James," said Stephen. "But I was lucky that Thomas was there for me. Now I'll be back in business for sure!"

At that moment, James and Percy reached the Steamworks and got Stephen ready to be repaired. While Victor and Kevin supervised the repair, James suddenly remembered. With Stephen due to be ready the very next day, he could now start thinking about surprising Molly with the castle and Stephen.

"Stephen…after the opening ceremony at Ulfstead Castle tomorrow…do you think you could stick around? I have someone who…wants to meet you," he said.

"Really?" said Stephen. "I've met all your friends. Who else has to meet me?"

"Hmm…it's a surprise," said James. "Trust me, you'll like who you're gonna meet." But secretly, James was still nervous. He was excited to see what Molly would think but he had serious doubts as well. It had been a few years now and with the exception of some attention, not much had changed from Molly…

The next day was the opening of Ulfstead Castle. Guests came from all over the island, and the mainland as well. Connor, Caitlin and Spencer came by too. The Earl made his speech, Thomas apologized to Stephen for telling him about his job too soon and Gordon, Spencer, Connor and Caitlin all had their race. James may have felt proud of what he had done to make this all happen, but all the while the ceremony was going, his mind was still clouded over Molly. As soon as Thomas and Emily left together, he decided then and there that he would go find her.

Since James had not told her anything about the restoration, Molly had no knowledge of the castle whatsoever. She was resting in the shunting yards after working hard by herself, when she saw James approaching her.

"What do you want NOW, James?" she asked annoyingly.

"Molly? Remember what I said at the washdown? I've got something to show you," said James.

"Hm. What is it?" asked Molly. "Is it what you've been hiding from me?"

"Yes," said James. "But I implore you to have some optimism. I really think you'll like this…"

Molly was still neutral about what James would show her, but she agreed in the end, but not for him. Only for herself. James led her along the line, all the way to Ulfstead Castle.

"This is it, Molly," said James. When Molly saw the castle, she was most surprised indeed.

"I helped to restore this place, Molly," James added.

"You…what?" Molly asked, utterly surprised at what she heard.

"Thomas, Percy and I all worked very hard to get this castle back in business," said James. "It was a hard job, but we did it."

Molly took a look around the castle as they crossed over the drawbridge. The attention to detail was divine and the atmosphere certainly felt important and grand. Despite her distrust towards James, Molly had to admit that he did work hard.

"One other thing, Molly," said James. "I have someone I'd like you to meet." And he led her through the castle trails.

Stephen was at the platform when he saw James and Molly arrive.

"Hello again," said James. "I did say I had one more visitor for you. Here she is." Stephen looked and smiled at Molly.

"Meet Sodor's new friend. I'll leave you two to talk together," said James and he backed away, out of sight to give Molly her time to meet a new friend. Molly looked at Stephen and was quite intrigued. She did not think she'd meet an engine as unique as this.

"Hello, madam. I'm Stephen," said the Rocket.

"Good day, Stephen. I'm Molly," she said.

"I am an extremely old engine, Molly. One of the first ever built!" said Stephen. "I was called the Rocket back in my day. I can't pull much now, but the Earl says I'll be really useful here at Ulfstead Castle."

"Stephen…how did you come along here to Sodor?" asked Molly.

"Well, I was known as the Rocket many, many years ago," said Stephen. "I was the fastest engine of my kind in the day…until I was taken out of service and kept in a storage crate…until Thomas, James and Percy gathered by crate and brought me to the Steamworks to be restored. The Earl told Thomas he had a special job for me and said not to tell me, but Thomas could see I was feeling left out, so he told me anyway. As such, I wondered the island looking for that job…and ended up getting lost in the mine. Thank goodness Thomas managed to help me out with Jack's help."

James overheard Stephen and his heart flipped nervously. He would have to confess that he didn't help Thomas and Percy with the trucks, which led to Stephen going missing.

"So, Molly. What do you think of me and Ulfstead Castle?" said Stephen.

"Well…this castle is very lovely, and it was nice meeting you, Stephen," smiled Molly. "I hope you enjoy your new life on Sodor."

After Stephen went about his business, Molly returned to James, but she had gotten rid of her pleasant smile for Stephen as she laid eyes back on her cracked ruby. James held his breath and waited for Molly to speak…

"Well, James," she said. "I will admit, this is unexpected and even quite interesting…The castle is rather glorious and Stephen could be a good friend…but one big glory job from you is not enough to redeem you of almost five years of manipulation and abuse towards Emily, and tricking me about it!"

"Actually, Molly…I did make a little mistake on Stephen's behalf. The reason he went missing in the mine is because I didn't help Thomas and Percy with some runaway trucks…I was at the washdown instead of helping them, and that's when I met you there. I admit it was a foolish choice for me to make."

"So, you finally admit you caused some confusion and delay!" said Molly. "I'm not convinced, James. Stephen is truly a neat and special engine, but you still haven't proven yourself a trustworthy engine for me!" And she wheeshed back down the hill and away.

James remained silent for a moment or two…then sighed. All the hard work it took for him to reach this goal seemed in vain. Molly liked Stephen and the castle, but she refused to let go of the past and accept James' efforts. By this time, James was really losing confidence now. He had his doubts before, but if doing so much hard work and introducing such a special engine couldn't win Molly back, then what would? James began to feel that his redemption was a waste of time, but he loved Molly so much and didn't want to give up. Difficulty was setting in for him…

* * *

Thomas and Emily had listened to quite a lot so far as they looked at James. It was a lot to comprehend and James still wasn't finished.

"Whoa…" said Thomas.

"She still didn't come back to you," said Emily. "Such a pity."

"Yes, Emily," said James. "I tried desperately to keep on my redemption…but after that, everything went downhill, slowly at first, then I pretty much descended into Hell," said James.

"Ohh…that's pretty strong, James," said Thomas.

"You'll know why I call it that, Thomas," said James. "It really was that painful." And he kept on with his story, about when his first run with the "Flying Kipper"...

* * *

OK, so once again, this was going to be a much longer chapter, originally going to feature "The Smelly Kipper", "The Phantom Express" and "Tale of the Brave", but that's gonna be FAR too long of a chapter, this is already long enough, and once again I've kept you guys waiting weeks for a new chapter, so I'm just going to cut this in half and add let another extra chapter to this story.

And yes I know I've recently updated my profile with some new stories that are scheduled for this year...yeah, I'm seriously doubting all of them will, I was probably being a bit too optimistic, but at the very least there are no Christmas stories planned for this year, I mean one of them will be a winter themed story but it's not a Christmas story, so I don't have to worry about not meeting a Christmas deadline. But, in case any of you were wondering about some of the upcoming stories, I'm warning you now that most of them are going to be very dark, depressing and violent stories.

So, please leave a review and tell us what you thought of this chapter.


	8. The End of the Line

After Molly refused to accept James fully even after he worked so hard to restore Ulfstead Castle, the Scarlet Redemption was looking very poor for James. As such, he found it much more difficult to keep away from his old hobbies of teasing other engines and even scaring Percy with his spooky stories.

And one evening, he was doing exactly that, telling a story about a ghost train. Most of the engines don't take James's stories too seriously. But Percy found the stories very scary. Especially because Percy often pulled the mail train at night. Sometimes at night things look scarier than they really are.

"And that's when I saw the ghost train!" said James.

"James! Percy doesn't like your stories," said Thomas.

"Well, it's not my fault if Percy's not as brave as I am," sniffed James.

"If you're so brave, why don't you go out at night and pull the mail train?" Thomas teased.

"Yes, James," teased Emily. "I think you never take trains at night, because you're more scared than Percy."

"Pulling the mail train is a job for a small engine like Percy, not a splendid tender engine like me," James replied.

"It's okay, Thomas. I don't mind pulling the mail train," said Percy and he set off into the night.

Henry had listened to the conversation and what Emily said gave him an idea. "If you're really not afraid, James, perhaps you'd like to prove it tonight by pulling the Flying Kipper for me," he said.

"Alright, Henry, I shall. I'm not afraid of a few fish," said James, and he set off into the night.

"We'll see, James. We'll see," Thomas called.

James made his way to the docks to collect the Flying Kipper, loaded with a fresh shipment of fish. But as he got closer, James began to notice a funny smell. It smelt strong, salty and oily. Porter was shunting trucks for Cranky, who was unloading the fishing boats.

"Oh, Porter. What's that smell?" asked James.

"It's the fish, of course, James. Are you here to collect the Flying Kipper?" asked Porter.

After smelling such a strong scent from the train Henry usually pulled, James went back on the challenge Henry gave him. He also did it to avoid any teasing or berating from Molly. At least she wouldn't tease him if he was clean. "Oh, no. Henry is supposed to pull the Flying Kipper. I mainly pull coaches. Perhaps I should go and fetch him," said James.

So James left the docks. He ditched an opportunity to prove himself. He chose a quick and easy path for once, and headed back to Tidmouth Sheds. Emily heard the sound and opened her eyes just a little bit, looking to her right. She was surprised to see James come back.

"Wake up, Henry. You need to pull the Smelly Kipper. You're late!" said James.

Henry woke up suddenly. "But I thought you were pulling the Flying Kipper tonight," he said through a yawn.

"Don't be silly, Henry. I don't pull the Flying Kipper. That's your job. I'm far too splendid," said James.

"But you said you would pull it, to show how brave you were," said Henry.

"Oh, did I?" said James. "I don't recall saying THAT." Emily suddenly had a plan to make James regret his decision in the morning. Henry would be late, but James would be to blame. She sighed quietly, catching James attention. But just as he looked to his left, Emily had already shut her eyes again and she snored quietly, pretending to dream.

"Zzz…All those fish, Henry…Zzz…that smell, oh dear…Zzz…what a pong…" she murmured.

"Emily's having a dream, you see," smirked James. "So...you must have been having a dream about me. Good night, Henry. See you in the morning."

"Oh, I'd better hurry," said Henry as he set off with haste.

James thought he had been very clever, telling Henry that it had all been a dream. But after he fell asleep, Emily opened her eyes once again and saw James' smirk. Then she smiled herself. Her plan was working. She only pretended to dream so she could expose James to the Fat Controller in the morning.

"It'll teach him a lesson at least," she whispered to herself. Then she fell asleep again, this time, peacefully and without a sound except for her gentle steady breathing, like she always slept.

Henry hurried as fast as he could as he pulled the Flying Kipper. But every delivery of fish was late. And some were very late indeed. Even though Henry didn't have an accident this time, being late didn't make this run any better than all the previous times he did have an accident with this train.

Back at Tidmouth Sheds, James didn't suspect the train to be late, as Henry liked to work hard. He was impressed that he managed to stay clean…but only for Molly. He could remember when she wasn't convinced by his muddy newspaper photograph with Farmer McColl's sheep. He didn't know what else he could do to convince her, but he still loved her in his heart. Then he suddenly had a new idea for himself.

 _"Hmm…"_ he thought. _"Maybe I need to take a break from my redemption mission. I do love her, but perhaps I need a rest. All these efforts have not worked very much and what's the point if she won't trust me? Perhaps just a few days off this mission would be OK. It's been quite tiring anyway. I should invest more of my time and energy into things I enjoy…"_ But James would soon learn he'd be devoting plenty of time to other things rather than what he enjoyed…

When Henry returned to Tidmouth Sheds in the morning, the Fat Controller was waiting for him.

"What happened to you last night, Henry?" asked the Fat Controller. "Why was the Flying Kipper so late?"

"Sorry, sir. I must have overslept," said Henry. He let off steam with shame. Then he remembered what James had said and decided to explain the situation. "I dreamt that James said he would pull the Flying Kipper…for me."

"Oh, I don't think so, Henry," said Emily. "That was all real."

"But…weren't you dreaming too, Emily?" began Henry.

Emily giggled. "I was only pretending to dream, Henry," she explained with a sly smile. "Above my snoring, I heard what James said."

"I…don't understand," puzzled Henry. "Was I dreaming about James…or was it…?"

"That wasn't a dream, Henry," said Thomas. "I heard James tell you that."

"I heard him too," Gordon added with a smug smile. Emily almost laughed at Gordon's smile. She liked it when he addressed a situation properly, even if he could have a little too much fun doing so.

James didn't feel so clever now. "James? Is this true? Was it you who caused confusion and delay?" asked the Fat Controller.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was going to pull the Flying Kipper for Henry, sir. I even went to collect the trucks. But they were…very…smelly, sir."

"Smelly? Of course the fish were smelly! But you told Henry you were going to take that train," said the Fat Controller sternly.

"I know, sir, but I thought if I was pulling coaches, my passengers might object, sir, if I was…smelly, I mean," James said, now quite embarrassed.

"Smelly or not, you shall pull the Flying Kipper tonight to make up for your broken promise to Henry!" said the Fat Controller sternly.

"Oh. Yes, sir," sighed James.

James was not happy at all. All day, he kept thinking about the job he had to do that night. By this time, he did not expect any attention or gratitude from Molly whatsoever. He didn't expect it, nor did he care for now. But he eventually stopped a red signal when Molly came up beside him, giving him quite negative attention.

"James," she said out loud.

"What?" grunted James before recoiling nervously. "Eh! …Molly…"

"I heard Thomas talking about you taking the Flying Kipper tonight after you lied to Henry! Oh, first you lie to me, now Henry?!" hissed Molly.

"I didn't lie," objected James. "I didn't want my passengers to object to me smelling like fish."

"Oh really?" enquired Molly. "Maybe they should object to you and complain to the Fat Controller. It's what you deserve if you try to find an easy way out of the jobs you're ordered to do!" At that moment, the signal went green and James had to go on his way, feeling even worst.

But what James didn't notice was that Molly wasn't only angry at James. She was beginning to feel rather lonely herself. When he rounded the bend, she began to feel bad herself. She had been turning him down all this time and although she paid attention to some of his deeds and even saw some good in them, she wondered if she was being too hostile with him. All because of his bad habits of teasing and being full of himself. She remembered that he wanted to improve his behaviour with her help, but if he didn't learn from his mistakes, what could she do to help him then?

"I guess I made a mistake in meeting him," she said to herself. "Perhaps I would have been better off with another engine…but still, he gave me such joy when I first came here…so close and yet so far…" And Molly continued to wonder to herself for the rest of the day.

That night, as James, approached the docks, he could smell the fish. And he didn't like the smell at all.

"Hello, James. Where are your coaches? You're not here to pull the Flying Kipper, are you?" teased Porter, remembering the previous night.

"Possibly," said James. He was very careful backing up to the Troublesome Trucks. "Easy does it, now. Ooh, I don't want any fish on me," he shuddered.

The Troublesome Trucks thought this was very funny indeed. "James is scared of the smelly fish!" they jeered.

"Stop saying that! I am not!" protested James. But the trucks kept singing.

James was distracted because the Troublesome Trucks were teasing him. And then there was trouble. Cranky was still unloading the fish from the fishing boats. And James backed right into his hook. Kippers sprawled out of the crates and all over James! He shuddered awfully as the smell became even worse.

"Ohh! James!" shouted Cranky.

The Troublesome Trucks thought James looked very funny indeed, all covered in fish. So did Porter.

"You're supposed to take the fish in the trucks, James. Ha-ha!" he laughed.

The smell was even stronger now. James hurried as fast as he could to deliver the fish. Each delivery was on time, but it didn't improve James' mood. He was now rather cross.

"Ohh! What does it matter now? Molly will laugh at me, say I'm a silly engine and that'll be it!" he grumbled. "Why the blazes did I go back on my promise to Henry? Why didn't I wait until the trucks were fully loaded?" James felt very silly until all the fish were delivered…

In the morning at Tidmouth Sheds, the other engines woke up to a strange smell. Emily sniffed the air and caught a strong whiff.

"What's that smell?" she asked. Another sniff came from Henry.

"That's the smell of fish," he said.

Suddenly, Thomas laughed. "That's the smell of James!"

Gordon laughed out loud too. "It looks like he's brought a present for the Fat Controller!"

"What do you mean?" James asked as the engines kept laughing. He looked around himself and then…There was still a fish sticking out from under the front of James' smokebox!

"Oh! Smelly fish!" exclaimed James. "I…I had a little accident," he confessed.

"But your red paint looks lovely and shiny now," teased Thomas.

"Must be all that fish oil, James. You look more splendid than ever!" chimed Percy. All the engines laughed at James' predicament now.

Then the Fat Controller arrived. James was worried at first, but then he saw the Fat Controller was pleased.

"Well done, James. Well done. I was very pleased to hear that the fish were delivered on time this morning, in spite of your little accident." But as he came closer he noticed the strong smell, and the fish on James' running plate.

"Oh, James, what a smell! You must go to the washdown right away," said the Fat Controller, holding his nose.

"Yes, sir. Thank you. I'd be very happy to do that, sir." As he made his way out of the sheds and to the washdown, the engines continued to laugh about the matter until they set off to work too.

At the Washdown, James was very happy to be getting cleaned. He hoped he never had to see another fish for a very long time. But soon after the workmen finished cleaning him, he saw Molly pass by again. James prepared himself and waited to be scolded or mocked…but he looked again. Molly just looked at him with discontent, then closed her eyes and pouted as she huffed on. James was disappointed again. Molly may have not scolded or mocked him, but by now, she was starting to ignore him completely. She was starting to not care what he did, whether it be good or bad.

That night, all the engines were sleeping peacefully, except James. He kept looking at the moon and stars, conflicted over his choices now.

 _"If she's going to ignore me now…what's the point?"_ he thought. _"I might as well keep having the fun I always do, telling stories and playing jokes. It's all I can do if I don't get her back."_ But even as he spoke, James couldn't stop loving Molly. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have had at least some light in his life. He didn't just love her, he needed her. It was her who allowed him to be a more positive engine, and he couldn't do that so easily without her…

Somewhere else on the line, another engine was not sleeping well either. Molly was trying to empty her mind and fall asleep in her own shed, but just like Emily, she couldn't sleep by herself.

"Why did this all have to happen?" she asked. "Why did I have to fall in love with someone who helped me after a rough arrival…but then trick me about hurting another innocent engine?" Molly still had faint glimmers of love for James, but to her they were just memories that would eventually fade from her memory. She knew some of his negative behaviour was just habits he couldn't break away from, but seeing as he kept relishing them rather than learn from his mistakes, Molly felt even sadder.

"Oh, James!" she sobbed. "Why did you have to have those hobbies?! I just wanted you to be a kinder engine when I first met you!" And she fell asleep, unhappily and full of thought…

* * *

"So, you two," said James in Knapford Sheds. "That was the first part of my defeat in my mission. Nothing severe, but nevertheless, a trigger to the end…and I actually have to thank you, Emily. You were very clever to teach me a lesson through pretending to dream like that."

"Well, I am glad you learned your lesson that time, James," said Emily.

"What happened next, James?" asked Thomas.

"It slowly got worse, when Percy made his first delivery to Ulfstead Castle, and I scared both him and Stephen," said James as he went on…

* * *

A few months after pulling the "Smelly Kipper," James had another dilemma to be faced with, only this time, his mission failed even further. One dark and misty night, Percy was getting ready to collect the mail. Instead of feeling scared, he was excited.

"I'm making my first-ever delivery to Ulfstead Castle," he announced proudly.

"That sounds scary to me," said James. He remembered telling ghost stories just before he made Henry late with the Flying Kipper, but James decided to have fun with Percy. "The Phantom Express might get you."

"The Phantom Express…who's that?" asked Percy.

"He's a ghost engine. He puffs around the castle, rattling the rails and blowing his ghostly whistle," said James.

"Don't listen to him, Percy. He's just teasing you. There's no such thing as ghosts," said Thomas.

"Yes there is! You'll see Percy!" said James. Percy was nervous about what James had said, but he chuffed away to collect the mail.

Back at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas looked at James.

"What are you talking about with this 'Phantom Express,' James?" he asked. "Is that a ghost story?"

"Oh, Thomas…I haven't seen it…yet," smirked James.

Then James' driver arrived unexpectedly. "James? The Fat Controller has a job for you tonight. We are to collect coal for Ulfstead Castle's fires," he said.

James didn't want to pull coal trucks and almost objected…but with the chance of teasing Percy again, he agreed.

"Alright, sir," he said with a small smirk. His driver, suspecting nothing, got in the cab and James set off. At he waited for the coal, James kept thinking about what he told Percy.

 _"He'll be shaking in his firebox soon enough,"_ he thought. _"And I'll finally have some fun for once."_ Soon his coal trucks were loaded and he set off for the castle.

Percy was soon puffing towards the castle. "I hope I don't meet the Phantom Express." Percy arrived at the castle. He had to wait at the red signal for the drawbridge to come down. Then he carefully entered the caste walls. Percy's driver unloaded the mail, but Percy was still thinking about what James had said. Suddenly, he heard a huffing and clanking sound coming from a dark doorway. A light began to shine through it, making Percy more nervous. Then…a familiar figure appeared in the dark.

"Hello, Percy," said Stephen.

"Oh, hello, Stephen. I thought you were the phantom Express," said Percy.

"Phantom Express…what's that?" asked Stephen.

Percy repeated what James said. "He's a ghost engine. He puffs around the castle, rattling the rails and blowing his ghostly whistle."

"Oh, there's no such thing as ghosts, Percy," laughed Stephen. "I've never seen one or heard any rattling rails."

"Just wait till I tell James!" laughed Percy. Then James arrived. He was delivering coal for the big castle fires.

"Have you seen the Phantom Express yet, Percy?" he asked.

"Ha! I don't believe your story, James," Percy replied. "Stephen says there aren't any ghosts at the castle, and he should know!"

This made James very cross. He decided to deepen his story, and make it feel real. "That's where you're wrong! I've seen the Phantom Express this very night! He's puffing round the castle rails!"

"Really? Were the rails rattling? Ha-ha! We don't believe you," said Stephen…but then an eerie sound split the air. Like a howling whistle. Everyone listened.

"What's that noise, then? It sounds just like the ghostly whistle of the Phantom Express," said James. It was only an owl hooting. But even Stephen thought that it sounded just like the Phantom Express.

"Let's meet up again, Percy, as soon as we've done our jobs," he planned.

"Good idea, Stephen," said Percy. But as Percy made his way out of the castle to deliver the mail, James had a naughty plan ready. He hid just outside the gates, waiting for Stephen to come out.

"I'll show them," he said.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," Stephen kept repeating to himself as he crossed the drawbridge and started to leave. Then James blew his whistle…and it echoed through the pipes!

"Is that…could it be No, it isn't. Yikes!" And Stephen began to reverse.

"Scared you!" laughed James. It was the wrong thing to do, but James was finally feeling some long-lost pleasures he had not felt ever since he and Gordon tortured Emily. He forgot about Molly for a while and relished in the amusement he was getting.

Stephen was so scared, he rushed backwards to the castle. So he didn't see that the drawbridge had gone back up. His driver and fireman had to jump clear. Stephen had rolled right off the track and fallen into the dry moat.

"Well, that wasn't very clever now, was it?" he said to himself. "James must have been right! The Phantom Express won't get me now…"

Meanwhile, Percy had delivered the mail and was puffing back to meet Stephen at the junction. But Stephen wasn't there.

"Oh, no. Where's Stephen? Maybe the Phantom's got him!" Then Percy saw a light through the fog. "Oh I hope that's Stephen," he said.

But it wasn't Stephen. It was James, making a ghostly howl. Percy heard the sound and was very frightened. He panicked and sped up, just like Stephen did.

"Scared you," James repeated, having even more fun.

Percy was so scared, he raced away without paying any attention to the red signal. Then there was trouble. Percy cascaded down into the moat and landed beside Stephen.

"Hello, Percy. I see you found the meeting place," said Stephen.

"Well, at least we're stuck here together," said Percy. "What are you doing down here?"

"I heard the Phantom Express, Percy," said Stephen. "I think it's real. But it wasn't clever of me to fall down here. I don't know how long we'll be stuck down here, but at least the Phantom Express won't see us down here."

Meanwhile, James came out of his hiding place. He had enough fun for tonight and he wanted to tell Percy and Stephen that it was all a joke. "Percy? Stephen?" he called.

There was so much fog, he couldn't find them anywhere. As he puffed around the misty castle grounds alone, James started to get scared. He even started to believe his own story.

"Maybe there really is a Phantom Express. And maybe it's got Percy and Stephen!" he exclaimed. "Why did I make up that tale?!" James kept looking for Percy and Stephen all through the walls of the castle, but found no sign of them. Eventually, he came back to the drawbridge. Percy heard the sound from above, but when the drawbridge came down, it hid them.

"I think somebody must be coming," said Percy.

"Maybe we should blow our whistles!" said Stephen. He and Percy blew loudly on their whistles, but to James, they sounded like…

"Oh, no! It's the Phantom Express!" James was so frightened, he raced off as fast as he could.

"Huh. Serves him right," said Stephen. "Teasing you like that, Percy."

"And he calls ME scared," huffed Percy. "I don't like being scared, I'm just a timid engine, that's all…"

The Fat Controller was at the dairy. Thomas was collecting milk to take to the bakery when he heard James panicking.

"Help! It's the Phantom Express!" he cried.

"James! What on earth are you talking about?" asked the Fat Controller.

"Percy and Stephen are missing! The ghost has got them!" said James.

The Fat Controller knew there were no such things as ghosts, but he wanted to find out where Percy and Stephen had gone.

"Come on, then, James. Let's go on a ghost hunt!" But as he climbed aboard James and set off into the night, James began to feel even more nervous. He knew the Fat Controller would eventually find out the meaning of this and really let James have it.

"Ohh…he's going to be cross, I just know it!" thought James. "And to think that I forgot about Molly in that moment! Oh, this is not good!"

Back at the castle, Percy and Stephen were still in the dry moat, when they heard a whistle in the distance.

"Stephen! I hear someone else coming!" chimed Percy.

"Start whistling again! They might help us," said Stephen. So the two engine blew their whistles again. As James and the Fat Controller approached the castle, they heard the mysterious whistling. It echoed around the castle walls!

"See, sir! It's the Phantom!" wailed James.

"That's not a phantom. Raise the drawbridge!" ordered the Fat Controller. Once the drawbridge was raised, the Fat Controller walked to the ledge with a lantern. Now he saw who it was.

"Percy and Stephen? Why are you two down there?" he asked.

"The Phantom chased us, sir!" explained Percy.

"I heard his ghostly whistle!" said Stephen.

"And I saw him huffing through the fog," added Percy.

James heard Percy and could see there was no more denying. He had to speak the truth. "Oh, dear. That wasn't the Phantom…that was me, playing a trick on you. I'm sorry."

The Fat Controller was not very happy. "I shall talk to you later. Get Rocky over here at once!" He ordered crossly.

"Yes, sir," answered James. Soon, Rocky had lifted Percy and Stephen back onto the tracks.

"Thank you, Rocky," said Percy. "It wouldn't have been fun to be stuck down there all night.

"Happy to help, Percy," grinned Rocky. The Fat Controller ordered Percy, Stephen and James to come altogether inside the castle for a little word. At the platform, he spoke to Stephen and Percy first.

"Stephen, you should know by now there is no such thing as a Phantom Express, and it wasn't clever at all of you to reverse down the moat like that," he said. Stephen looked sorry but understood the Fat Controller.

"And Percy, you should have watched the red signal before rushing down after Stephen…But, I understand you were both frightened by a not-so-funny joke," he said as he turned to the red engine.

"James, you have caused confusion and delay!" he snapped. "You will deliver Percy's mail every night for a whole month!"

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," said James.

"Good luck, James," teased Stephen.

"I hope the Phantom doesn't get you," teased Percy as he and Percy made their way out of the castle, safely and carefully this time. James laughed at first…but then an owl hoot made him remember the mess he got the two engines into.

"Wait for me!" he wailed as he followed them swiftly out of the castle.

At Tidmouth Sheds, Percy told the other engines what happened, and James didn't speak of any Phantom Express again. Percy was very pleased to get some relief from taking the mail every night.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, James!" huffed Thomas. "I told you Percy doesn't like your stories!"

"I should actually thank you, James. Now I won't have to worry too much about the night," Percy smiled.

"I'll do the job I'm told to do," said James. "But I only wanted to joke about with you two, not cause an accident. Now I'm gonna be having less sleep for the next month with all the mail runs!"

"It serves you right after what you did to Percy and Stephen," hissed Henry.

"Yes!" said Emily. "Getting Stephen, one of the oldest engines ever known into a frightful accident! And trying to scare Percy!"

"It was just an act," said James. "Percy needs to be braver. Nighttime is nothing to be scared of, but a scaredy engine doesn't seem to notice that."

Emily looked at Percy and could see he was very sleepy from all the action. She then looked at Thomas and winked. Then she turned back to James and said the same thing she said to Thomas at Knapford Sheds, only this time she had good reason to say it.

"Be quiet, James! And go to sleep!" she wheeshed.

"I quite agree," added Gordon. "Go to SLEEP."

That was enough for James. He fell asleep at once. Emily looked back at Thomas and smiled.

"It worked," he whispered. "He deserved that."

"Yes he did, Thomas," said Emily. "Sweet dreams, Thomas."

"You too, Emily," said Thomas. But as he and Emily fell asleep, James had so much more to think about. He thought about how he would cope with doing Percy's nightly mail run for an entire month. It would either give him time to think about what he did, and help him improve his behavior, or it would make him succumb further into darkness and fail Molly.

Once again, in her own shed, Molly wasn't sleeping very tightly. She was dreaming about Phantoms and castles and accidents…and about James having fun with his tricks. She too was very conflicted over what to do about him. Would he keep being mischievous and full of himself, continuing to get into more trouble, or would he suddenly do something unthinkable, but amazing that would rekindle hope in Molly and trust him again?

"James…" she whispered in her sleep. "What am I going to do about you?"

* * *

James remained silent for a while as Thomas and Emily looked at him.

"Do you see how it gradually got worse and worse?" he asked after a few minutes.

"I see what you mean, James," said Emily. "It was becoming less hopeful and more miserable…and more difficult."

"Well…here I go," said James. "The final part of my story…"

Thomas and Emily's hearts flipped. The story would be done this very evening and they would know everything.

"Fire away, James," said Thomas. "Finish your story about yourself and Molly."

So James began telling the last part of his story…

* * *

James had spent the next month taking Percy's mail run every night. He had been slipping further and further back to his old ways of being mischievous, cheeky full of himself. He still loved Molly, but his redemption was now a badly losing battle, and soon, it would come to the end of the line. Taking the train at night gave him no chance to see Molly, and as such, she said nothing and did nothing to or about him. Every night, the only thing he could think about was what a silly engine he had been, getting Stephen into an accident shortly after helping to restore him and the castle. He decided if he couldn't tease Stephen, he'd only tease Percy. Hence, his mission would soon finally collapse.

Shortly after that month of mail runs was over, Thomas was helping Bill and Ben at the Clay Pits while his branch line was under maintenance when he saw giant footprints during a storm. He really wanted to know where they came from and if they even were footprints.

One night, it was already dark when Thomas finally returned to Tidmouth sheds. As he reversed into the berth beside James, he looked beyond Gordon towards Emily.

"Emily? …Emily?" he whispered. Emily slowly opened her eyes and yawned, "Hello, Thomas. I heard you coming…Lovely to have you back…"

"Lovely to see you, Emily," Thomas whispered. Emily smiled and closed her eyes again. Thomas looked at her for a few seconds, then looked to the left. He was very surprised to find Percy still in his berth.

James was sleeping better now that he didn't have to take any mail runs. What Thomas said next caught his attention and woke him up.

"Percy, aren't you supposed to be taking the mail train? You should have left by now," he said.

"I know, Thomas, but last night, I kept seeing things that looked like monsters," peeped Percy.

"Monsters?" asked Thomas.

"A monster?" chuckled James, overhearing the two engines.

"They weren't really monsters. They were only silly things, like a haystack or a shirt on the line, but there could still be a monster out there," shuddered Percy. Feeling so vulnerable, he got an idea…

"Please, Thomas. Would you take the mail train for me? Just tonight?" he asked.

"Um...alright, Percy. I suppose I could," said Thomas. He was happy to help his best friend and huffed out of the sheds.

"Thank you, Thomas. Thank you. You're a good friend," smiled Percy. Unfortunately, James, being conceited as he was, found Percy's timid approach amusing and wanted to have some fun. He was also doing it because he had tried so hard to impress Molly over such a long time, and he was really feeling vain about the matter. As such, he couldn't help but keep relishing his teasing ways, especially after doing Percy's job for the last month.

"Oh, Percy. You're such a scaredy-engine," he teased. Emily overheard James and felt a tingle of suspicion flow through her boiler.

"Why is he teasing Percy over being frightened…even over something simple?" she thought. She knew that Percy was easily frightened over things not to be afraid of, but it wasn't his fault. He was a little carefree engine.

Despite enjoying the teasing, James, felt a little disappointed in himself. Despite feeling like his efforts were somewhat in vain, he didn't want to dishonour his feelings for Molly. Surely behaving like this would not make a good impression on her. It would only make matters worse and worse with no end in sight. He was desperately trying to hold onto his feelings of love for her.

 _"I can't succumb to my bad ways again,"_ he thought. _"Why is this happening? I can be better!"_ But it was hard to be better at this point.

While Emily stepped in and watched for Thomas to calm Percy down, James looked at the stars himself, constantly thinking about Molly. She had rejected him all this time and he was flagging now, but he began to wonder if she possibly felt sorry for him, but didn't want to admit it. She did acknowledge how sad he was after his depressing Christmas, and she did make a new friend after meeting Stephen. He thought if she had any sense of pity within.

 _"She must feel something underneath all that,"_ he thought. _"But who am I to talk? I haven't seen her for a month…"_

Eventually, Emily and Percy saw that Thomas finally finished the mail run and came back safe and sound.

"There he is, Percy," whispered Emily. "I told you he'd be OK,"

"Thank you, Emily. And goodnight," whispered Percy.

"Goodnight, Percy. And goodnight, Thomas," Emily whispered.

"Goodnight, Emily," Thomas whispered as he backed into the berth beside Percy again. "No monsters?" whispered Percy. "No monsters," smiled Thomas.

"But what about the footprints?" Percy asked worriedly.

"It was dark and stormy that night in the Clay Pits. I don't even know for sure that I saw any footprints. You should try to get some sleep, Percy. There's nothing to worry about."

Percy managed to fall asleep along with Thomas and Emily, but James continued to look at the sky and think about Molly. He began to feel a little frightened for her and himself. What would she do if she found out that he was enjoying his old bad ways again? What would happen to him if all his efforts went down the pit? After what felt like several hours, his eyes finally became too heavy to stay open and he became tired enough to sleep. But as he did this, he soon began to dream again...

 _James was idling at the very top of Gordon's Hill on a cold grey day. All around him, cold rain was falling quite heavily. It soaked his paintwork through and through, and ran off his smokebox and down his face, as if the rain drops were alternative tears for him to shed. The only sound to be heard was the noisy pattering of the rain and an occasional far-off rumble of thunder and James did not say a word. It was just him out here, all alone with nothing for him to enjoy…until something broke the silence._

 _ **"James…"** said a voice he had never heard before. He looked around but saw no one. He shut his eyes and let his tears start to fall with the rain. He suddenly heard a huffing sound coming up the hill and towards him._

 _ **"James,"** said the voice again._

 _"Who is it?" he sobbed gently._

 _ **"I'm Emma. Thomas' deceased sister,"** answered the voice. James opened his eyes and indeed saw her. She was still her teal-green self, only she looked spiritual, ghostly and a little clouded._

 _"Emma?" he asked. "I've never met you…and you only knew Thomas for about an hour before you left and were eventually scrapped. Why are you here?"_

 _ **"To speak to you,"** she answered. **"All your attempts to redeem yourself were certainly really useful," said Emma. "But it seems that Molly hasn't fully trusted you ever since you first tried."**_

 _"I know," said James. "What do you think, Emma? Will she ever forgive me…or has she been changed by the mistake Gordon and I made?"_

 _Emma remained silent for a minute or two before answering in a serious manner. **"Sometimes people and engines are changed by big things they never knew…and that must have happened to Molly. If she doesn't see fit to forgive after everything you've done for her, you may have to forget about her and move on."**_

 _"I'll NEVER forget Molly!" protested James. "I love her!" But Emma slowly began to disappear._

 _"Emma!" James panicked. "Don't go! What am I to do?! EMMA!" But the engine spirit finally faded away and into the oblivion of the falling rain, leaving James by himself and in despair again…_

When James woke up again, he felt even worse. Then suddenly, he noticed his cheeks were wet and his eyes were burning a little. He had been crying in his sleep. He looked at the stars, his boiler aching with sadness.

"Molly…I miss you…I love you so much," he sobbed quietly before falling asleep again, his hope now flickering like a candle in cold wind…

* * *

In Knapford Sheds, Thomas and Emily's hearts were broken like glass and they were both crying with distraught. Neither of them had any idea that James had dreamt about Emma, especially since she was dead, and James had to take a moment for continuing, he was so sad.

"J-James," sobbed Emily. "You had such a sad dream."

"And you met Emma...in a dream of course, but still, she entered your mind," sobbed Thomas.

"Please, you two…" James said with a cracking voice. "I need a moment!" He squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to sob, but it was all in vain. He suddenly spluttered and coughed through his sobs, his face going redder and redder. Emily knew that James had been very troublesome to many engines even after he teased Percy, but right now, she did not like seeing him like this at all, with no one to love him. She decided he needed an exception.

"Stay where you are, James. I'll be right back," she said, and she huffed out of the sheds.

"Emily?" called Thomas. Then he sighed and waited with James. A few minutes later, Emily came back…facing the other way, and on James' line.

"What are you doing, Emily?" Thomas whispered. Emily winked at Thomas. She slowly came towards James buffering up to him, then she touched her nose to his. James suddenly opened his eyes and saw Emily's face right to his. Her eyes twinkled gently in the lights of the shed.

"Emily…you're Thomas' angel. I don't deserve this…" whimpered James.

"Stay calm, my engine brother," she whispered kindly. "I am Thomas' angel…but I can see you need a gentle nurture from me so you'll feel well enough to tell us more." James felt a sense of kindness and safety as he felt Emily's soft, warm nose on his own. He sighed and let himself calm down and enjoy the kindness Emily was giving him. Emily breathed gently through her mouth as she tried to pass her calm energy onto James. He felt little warm sensations from her warm breath, making him feel even more peaceful. Thomas just smiled. He liked that Emily could see James' despair and how she tried to cure him a little.

After a few quiet minutes, Emily reversed from James and was gone again. Then she came back, turned round once again and backed in beside James.

"Do you feel any better, James?" asked Emily.

"Are you fit enough to continue?" asked Thomas.

"OK…I'm better," said James, and he went on…

* * *

At last, Thomas' branch line was opened again. Thomas and Emily woke up first just as the Fat Controller arrived.

"Good news, Thomas. Your Branch Line is finished and has been re-opened. You can take Annie and Clarabel along your way now," he said.

"Thank you, sir," smiled Thomas. "Well, Emily. Once again, we won't be missing each other so much again."

"No, Thomas," smiled Emily. "We won't. Now go and please Emma's spirit by cherishing your line again."

"Certainly, dear," breathed Thomas as he left the sheds.

James was already working himself. He had a rough night after such a sad dream, but things were even worse. The Fat Controller had sent him to gather trucks of scrap from the scrapyards. James would do as he was told, but this job only made him feel worse and all the more angry. He even welcomed the idea of teasing Percy even further.

 _"Taking scrap is not going to help my emotional state now,"_ he thought. _"I might as well BE scrapped!"_

Meanwhile, Thomas arrived at a small shed where Annie and Clarabel were waiting. Annie was pleased to see Thomas coming back. "Wake up, Clarabel. We're back in business," she smiled.

"Ooh, is that Thomas? How delightful," chimed Clarabel.

"Here we go," said Thomas as he began to pull away from the shed. James was huffing on the opposite line.

"It's not fair. You get to pull coaches, and I get sent for scrap," he said enviously.

"Sent for scrap?!" gasped Thomas…but secretly, he was somewhat satisfied. Somewhere within him, a dark side was telling him this was great fortune. James had hurt and abused Emily along with Gordon so terribly that perhaps such a fate would be justified.

"Oh, James, that's terrible. You still look really useful to me," shuddered the coaches.

"Uh, no, I mean sent to the scrapyard to collect trucks filled with scrap," corrected James.

"Oh, I see. Silly us. Yes, silly us," laughed the coaches.

"Cheer up, James. Pulling trucks isn't so bad," teased Thomas.

"You can't always do the jobs you like best," said Clarabel.

James was not a happy engine as he puffed to the scrapyard. But when he saw Percy, he found another opportunity to be unruly. Despite the Fat Controller's warning of locking him and Gordon in the sheds forever if they bullied any engine on such magnitude again, James was so fond of teasing, he had forgotten.

"Hello, scaredy-engine. Seen any monsters lately?" he teased. Percy wasn't as fazed as before. With Emily looking out for him he had a little more strength.

"You can tease if you want to, James, but there really might be a monster on Sodor, you know," he said with less timid energy than usual.

"Ha, puff and nonsense. There's no such thing as monsters," James replied.

"Well, Thomas saw giant footprints up at the Clay Pits, and nobody knows what made them." And Percy huffed on. This made James' smile fade away into a look of puzzlement and wonder.

"Giant footprints? Huh, I wonder-whoa!" James had veered off the main line into a scrapyard! In front of him was a great pile of scrap. Then he saw a claw grab a pile of funnels and place it on the pile! James started to reverse when he heard a voice and saw a face through the scrap.

"Hello, mate. You came in fast. Scrap give you a bit of a fright, did it?" It was a yellow crane.

"Ha, no. I'm not scared of pieces of metal and rusty old machines," bluffed James.

"Is that right? Well, aren't you the big engine? Reg is the name. I'm the scrapyard crane."

"Well, I'm James, and I usually pull coaches," said James with pride.

"Well, there's a surprise," Reg said to himself.

"I'm just here to collect scrap for today, so please get to it," said James. Reg got straight to work and loaded a line of trucks for James.

"There you go, James. Be sure to find some coaches afterward," he teased.

"Hmph!" replied James as he went on his way. He was proper sulky all along the main line, saying nothing to any engines he passed by or grumbling to himself, complaining that his life was too difficult to cope with. He muttered and grumbled all the way to the Smelter's Yards where he delivered the scrap.

As he left his trucks there and made his way out of the yards, he set off back to the sheds. On his way, he heard a familiar whistle. He looked ahead and saw Molly passing by. She saw him then shut her eyes with a pout…then what she did next really surprised James. She breathed in a little, then suddenly blew steam at him loudly, clouding his sight for a few seconds. When he could see again, he only got angrier.

 _"I won't pay her back, but what she did was rather insensitive too!"_ he thought to himself. _"At least I'm finished with scrap…gotta cheer up. Perhaps I can go back to amusing myself with Percy's overly timid behaviour. I'm sure I can make him start shaking in his firebox."_

As he huffed past Knapford Station and came closer to the sheds, he faintly heard Thomas and Emily's voices. Then he heard Percy's voice more clearly.

"Hello, Thomas. Guess what," he peeped.

"Um, let me see. Have you been asked to deliver a giant balloon on a flatbed?" guessed Thomas. Emily chuckled quietly to herself. She remembered when Mr. Bubbles came to make the biggest bubbles ever made and she liked how close Thomas and Percy were as friends. Thomas had both Percy and her...two of the best friends he could ask for.

"No. I've decided to be brave and take the mail train tonight," Percy replied.

"Oh, so you're not feeling scared about monsters anymore?" asked Thomas.

"Being brave is not the same as not feeling scared, Thomas. Being brave is about what you do even when you do feel scared. Gator told me that." And Percy set off with the mail wagons. James made his way onto the turntable as Percy left.

"Good luck, Percy!" called Thomas.

"Thank you, Thomas," said Percy.

"Be careful out there. Monsters are hard to see in the dark," called James as he turned round on the turntable.

"Don't you worry about me," Percy replied with confidence.

As James reversed into the berth beside Emily, she asked suspiciously, "Why are you teasing Percy like that, James?"

"I'm teasing Percy because he's a scaredy-engine, Emily," James replied with a smug smile. Thomas' firebox smoked and fizzed with anger as he saw James' smug behaviour. Emily was angry at James too, and she did not like the way he was looking at her one bit. When she and Thomas saw each other's expressions, they held back their laughter, but found it hard to do. Thomas still wanted to snap and turn round on the turntable so he could bash James into the back of the shed…when the Fat Controller arrived.

"Ah, there you are, James. Don't settle down. I need you to pull the Flying Kipper tonight and deliver fresh fish for the morning," he said.

"But that's Henry's job," objected James.

"Henry has taken a heavy goods train to the mainland. He won't be back before tomorrow."

"Well, why can't Emily do it or Thomas? I don't like pulling trucks," said James. Thomas and Emily glared at James. They hated when he tried talking his way out of work the Fat Controller was giving him.

"I'm asking you, James. You can't always do the jobs you like, you know," said the Fat Controller sternly. James begrudgingly set off for the docks, but not without receiving some teasing.

"Be careful out there, James. Monsters can be very hard to see in the dark," Emily teased.

James frowned as he heard that. Thomas looked over to Emily with a cheeky smile.

"You're becoming a little like me, Emily," he said.

"I'm giving James a taste of his own kind," she said obstinately. "He's so conceited, sometimes I wish he could be just a museum exhibit and have some other nice engine…like me to do the work he likes to do."

Thomas couldn't help but laugh slightly. He loved Emily's sense of humour. James had heard them as he left and became even angrier. By the time he reached Brendam Docks, the sun had set and the stars were now all over the sky.

"It's not fair. First I'm sent to work at the scrapyard. And now Henry gets to go on holiday to the mainland, while I have to spend the night pulling smelly fish…Yuck," he complained as the Flying Kipper was coupled to him.

"You look like you're in a sunny mood again, James," teased Porter.

"Hmph, well it's not sunny. It's nighttime," James replied. After collecting the Flying Kipper, he huffed off, still in a bad mood.

As he went along the line, James looked all around…until he came to a red signal and waited…

"Hello," said a voice coming from a rather strange object. It looked like a giant, oversized alligator…just like where Gator's name came from. James yelled in shock and sped on. A light came on…it was just Gator.

"Not again," he sighed. Percy was still happy in the night when he saw James still speeding along in a fright.

James was so frightened that he missed the red signal, hit the points, came off the rails, and ended up in a pond. His wheels sunk into the mud and the fish smelt terrible as they spoiled in the pond.

"ARGH!" cried James. "That silly Fat Controller! Did he not remember that this train always ends up with an accident?!"

Just then, Gator stopped just above James.

"Are you alright? I didn't mean to give you a fright," he said.

"Oh, James. Heh, I see you met Gator," said Percy beside Gator. All James could do was mourn over himself.

The next day, Percy was very happy, not just because he had taken the mail train again and not because of what had happened to James but because his new friend, Gator, was now working on the Fat Controller's railway.

Later that day, James arrived at Knapford station. "Shh. Here he comes," announced Emily. The other engines thought what had happened to him was very funny, indeed.

"Gator may have a sloping water tank, James, but that's nothing to be frightened of," Emily said, intending to annoy one of the engines she still hated to this day.

"Percy got a fright too when he first saw Gator," sniffed James. Once again, Thomas wanted to attack James in his annoyance.

"You won't be a bother for much longer!" he thought. Emily looked back at Thomas and saw his expression. "Thomas, calm down," whispered Emily. "The Fat Controller can deal with him." Thomas calmed down at once hearing Emily's reassuring. Then Henry whistled in from James' left.

"Thank you for taking the Flying Kipper for me, James, only you're meant to deliver the fish, not throw them back in the water," he teased. The other engines laughed in unison.

"I'll show them who the scaredy-engine is," James said angrily. As he left Knapford Station, Thomas looked at Emily.

"You're certainly cheeky with that stained Ruby, aren't you, Emily?" he joked.

"I think it's your fault, Thomas," giggled Emily. "Spending so much time with you has been a bad influence on me…I'm really just doing it for Percy's sake."

Back at Knapford Station, James was very angry now. He had been humiliated before, but after all the engines making fun of him, in that moment, something changed. Something vital broke inside him. After so many attempts to win Molly back, he decided it wasn't worth it. He tried and tried and yet she remained unforgiving for what he did to Emily. All he got from her was anger, rejection and distrust. He had tried for several years to redeem himself and get Molly back, but after his humiliation at this point, he finally gave up completely.

"Fire and Smoke!" he grouched. "That's it! No more! I'm NOT keeping to this redemption a moment longer! Molly can sulk about as much as she likes. If she enjoys it, so be it! I can be as troublesome as I always was! Bother love! It's silly and sissy! And bother Molly! Good riddance! If breaking away from this redemption means I can have fun scaring Percy, that's what I'll do! I'll even get back at him tonight! He's gonna be so scared, he'll surely cause enough trouble to get in trouble with the Fat Controller. He caused all this laughter against me, I'll get them to laugh at HIM…starting tonight. To Hell with everything to do with Molly! I am now free from any burden of guilt or trying to get her back!"

That night when Percy set out to take the mail train...James set out into the night too. He checked first to see if all the engines were asleep. Edward, Henry, Emily and Gordon were asleep…and Thomas was asleep. The only sound to be heard was Henry snoring drowsily, but James' huffing drowned some of it out.

Thomas woke up to see James leave. He closed his eyes again…but suddenly remembered him teasing Percy before taking the Flying Kipper. He looked over to Emily.

"Emily?" he whispered. Emily yawned and sleepily looked at Thomas. "Huh? What is it?" she whispered.

"James has gone out again…and Percy is taking the mail…I remember James teasing Percy yesterday…I think he's up to something," said Thomas, growing an annoyed glare into the night.

"If he disobeys the Fat Controller's orders too long, he will get what he deserves…" sneered Emily as she went back to sleep…

Thomas was right that James was up to something...he wasn't taking the "Flying Kipper". He was going on his way to Reg's scrapyard. He slowed down and huffed even quieter while Reg was asleep. James approached the big pile of scrap he saw before…then he got an idea.

"That's it!" he whispered. "This is sure to scare Percy and pay him out for making everyone laugh at me." So, using extreme care to be quiet, he began to shunt the scrap truck slowly and gently out of the scrapyard and onto Percy's line. He snickered quietly to himself as he prepared his plan. After a while of sneaking around, he heard a whistle.

Percy was back into his routine. Everything was going fine. He stopped in the stations and waited while the mail sacks were loaded and unloaded, and he didn't see anything that worried him at all. Then there was trouble…James had gathered the pile of scrap from the scrapyard and quietly left it on Percy's line.

"Yes…there we go," he sneered. "This'll be fun. Here he comes…"

When Percy came round the bend, there was something unusual on the track up ahead, something big. It wasn't a haystack or a clothesline. It could only be one thing. Percy hit the flatbed with a bump, causing the "monster" to swing its giant "claw" at Percy.

"There's no such thing as monsters. There's no such thing as monsters. Ahh! The monster!"

Percy just wanted to get back to the sheds as quickly as his little wheels could carry him.

"Oh, yes," James grinned. "He's bound to be rushing around all night…squealing and wailing in terror. Serves him right for laughing at me. He's a scaredy-engine and THAT is that. So to bed I go," and he made his way back to Tidmouth Sheds.

James returned to the sheds and all the engines were still asleep. As turned round on the turntable and settled inside his berth, he looked left and right once again for any signs of the engines being awake. He looked at Henry, still snoring drowsily as he was before, then James smirked, thinking the others didn't suspect a thing. But as he fell asleep, Percy's whistle echoed through the air, then his voice followed.

"Oh, it's coming to get me. It's right behind me! I know it is!" The sounds woke up the other engines. James wasn't fazed however. He was quite amused.

"The monster! The monster!" cried Percy as he charged into the empty berth beside Thomas.

"Percy!" exclaimed Thomas.

"I saw it. I really saw it!"

"Silly Percy. There's no such thing as monsters. You probably saw another haystack," sneered James.

"Yes, a haystack or a shirt on a line," added Gordon.

"Maybe you were just dreaming," said Emily.

"You're all wrong. It was a monster. It had spikes and teeth and claws!" said Percy, but even as he spoke, Gordon and James were laughing all the more. Emily could feel some of her bad ways reopening within her.

"Stop it. That's enough!" snapped Emily, terrible memories of her bad ways coming back to her. Thomas could hear Emily and his anger built very quickly.

"BE QUIET! OR I'LL BASH YOU FURTHER IN!" he barked to Gordon and James, taking them both by shock.

"Thomas, please don't do anything rash!" pleaded Emily.

"Tell them, Thomas. Tell them. There are monsters on Sodor. You saw those enormous footprints. Tell them," pleaded Percy.

"Uh, well, I...I don't know what I saw, Percy, or what you saw either. But I don't think it could have really been a monster," said Thomas, sounding rather unsure.

"There's no such thing as monsters," said Edward.

"Edward is right, no such thing, never was and never will be," said Henry.

"Remember what happened when you first saw Gator? You must have seen something you thought looked like a monster again," said Thomas.

"Oh, yes, Percy, admit it. You're just a scaredy-engine," teased James.

"SHUT UP, YOU BLOOD-PAINTED DIESEL!" screamed Emily. The words hit James like a cannon ball, but he couldn't comprehend it yet as Thomas spoke again.

"James, you got a fright when you saw Gator too," frowned Thomas.

"No, I didn't. I just missed a signal in the dark. I wasn't scared, not like Percy," replied James. But Thomas and Emily knew James was lying.

"None of you believe me, and you're right, I was scared, but I know what I saw," frowned Percy.

Emily and Thomas were not the only ones angry at James. Henry was very angry too. James was about to tease Percy again when…

"Be silent, 'rusty red scrap-iron'!" he hissed in a hostile manner. "Are you not forgetting what the Fat Controller warned you and Gordon of after Emily became herself again?!"

"Yes!" snapped Thomas. "What you promised to the Fat Controller, you must hold to…unless you want to be locked in the sheds forever!"

James' heart flipped within him. He now felt very frightened. What if the Fat Controller found out? He would be undeniably furious if he learned that his orders were being disobeyed once again. This made James fall silent and fall into a silent sleep. He began to have brand-new frights all over again. What he did tonight was nothing compared to four and a half years of hurting Emily, but for breaking his word, what would become of him! Even with his eyes closed, he could hear Emily coaxing Percy. He heard Percy leave the sheds and come back a little while later to be with Emily.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper…did I scare you?" she whispered.

"No, Emily. You didn't…please, Emily. Do you believe me?" asked Percy.

Emily smiled kindly at the little green engine. "Of course I believe you, Percy. Monsters aren't real, but I do know something was out there…I know you're telling the truth."

Percy smiled slightly. Having Emily as a mentor alongside Gator really made him feel confident.

"Thank you, Emily," he whispered. "Please, may I stay here with you?"

"Of course, Percy," said Emily. "If you want someone to keep you warm, I'm right here."

"Sweet dreams, Emily," whispered Percy as he drifted to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, Percy," whispered Emily as she fell asleep, keeping Percy warm and comfortable with her kind, gentle presence.

James heard every word and felt even angrier at his life. Hearing Emily and Percy talk together and fall asleep together made him remember that dream he had with Molly under the rainbow and sunrise.

 _"That wasn't a sign of hope,"_ he thought. _"That was just a vision to tease me and manipulate me!"_ Now he took time to comprehend what Emily screamed at him. Being called a diesel was one thing, but having his red paint be referred to as if he was painted with blood made him feel unbelievably shocked. To go from being called a "Radiant Ruby," to a "Blood-painted diesel," was an abominable turn of names. And James slept on through the night, feeling both satisfied with frightening Percy and feeling worried about the Fat Controller.

The next morning, Percy woke up first. His yawn woke Emily up. She saw Percy looking troubled again.

"What's wrong, Percy?" asked Emily.

"Only you believe me…no one else does…I have to take the mail again," peeped Percy.

"Please try to keep going, Percy," said Emily as he left the yards. Sometime later, the Fat Controller came to the sheds. And he didn't look very happy. When James saw him, his heart began to flip within.

"James, what's this I hear about a truck loaded with scrap being left on the line?!" he asked annoyingly.

"Sorry, sir. I'll see to it right away," said James, washing his responsibility of his actions away. As he left the sheds, he didn't pay attention to the Fat Controller talking to Thomas and Emily about Percy. He was too focused on fetching the scrap truck and getting it safely off the line…only so he could think of another trick to play on Percy. He eventually returned to where the scrap truck was and sneered.

"Well, this really worked," he said to himself. "But perhaps I should get rid of it now." So he coupled up to it and slowly started to make his way back to Reg's scrapyard. He made sure he didn't go fast as he didn't want any scrap to fall off and cause more confusion and delay.

"What to do next?" James thought. "I've given him a good scare…but if the Fat Controller knows a little about this…what do I want now? Another big trick…or a few little teases?"

"James! What is that?" asked a voice. James looked and saw Thomas beside him.

"Nothing. It's just the truck of scrap that was left on the line."

Thomas suddenly remembered! James had snuck out into the night to scare Percy with a monster-like pile of scrap!

"James, you played a trick on Percy. You made a monster out of scrap to give him a fright," he said angrily.

"What if I did? It was only a little joke," James replied smoothly.

"Not to Percy it wasn't. Percy is your friend. You need to find him and tell him what you did…and apologize!" demanded Thomas.

James went on his way, now he was beginning to feel guilty for his actions, while Thomas glared with fury. He really wanted to be behind James so he could rush up behind him and crash him right into the pile and bury him so no one could find him.

Hearing Thomas' harsh voice made James regather a little sense. He didn't think about Molly, but he did think about what he did.

"Perhaps I should apologize," he murmured. "After all, it's only right…if Percy even listens. Just keep teasing him and the Fat Controller might not find out…as long as he's not around."

As he approached the scrapyard, he could hear Reg talking aloud to himself.

"Where's my scrap pile? I was gonna make it even bigger and taller!" James whistled and Reg saw him coming.

"James!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing with MY scrap pile?"

"N-nothing," said James.

"That's MY pile!" snapped Reg. "I clearly need to keep a closer eye on my work. Now get out of here!"

"Fine," the red engine replied bluntly. After James returned the pile of scrap to Reg, he was looking for Percy, when he saw him pass a signal. Percy had been at Knapford Station already and had accused Thomas of betraying him and not believing him after James scared him with the monster.

"Percy!" he called.

"What do you want?" hissed Percy.

"I just wanted to say something...about last night," James began. But before he could apologize, he was cut off.

"I know you think I'm a scaredy-engine, James, but I'm not. And I'm going to do something to prove it, something brave that will surprise you all," snapped Percy as he went down another line.

"What? He didn't even listen!" huffed James. "I really AM sorry…wait, actually, I'm not. A rejected apology is a meaningless apology. OOH! That ungrateful, cheeky tank engine!"

That night in Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas was waiting to see James. So was Emily. Her anger was greater than it was the previous night and as she saw James return, all she wanted to do was start sounding the alarm and lure the Fat Controller in…but not yet.

"Well, did you talk to him?" asked Thomas.

"Talk to whom?" asked James.

"To Percy, James. Did you apologize?!" interrogated Thomas.

"I tried, but he wouldn't listen. He started talking about doing something brave," replied James.

"Where is he? He hasn't come back," said Thomas.

"He's probably taking the mail train, Thomas," said Henry.

"Yes, and he probably thinks taking the mail train is very brave," bragged James.

Henry, Edward and Emily glared at James with utmost anger when the Fat Controller arrived.

"Has anyone seen Percy? I don't know what's got into that engine: Running backwards through the docks, delivering mail late, driving away when I'm talking to him. Now he hasn't collected his mail trucks."

"Perhaps I should go and look for him, sir," volunteered Thomas.

"Perhaps, Thomas, you should take the mail train for your friend. And if you do see Percy, tell him I would like a word," said the Fat Controller.

"Yes, sir. I will, sir." Thomas gathered the mail wagons and set off into the night, worrying about Percy. James continued to grin to himself about all the fun he had and thinking about what other fun he could have now that Percy rejected his apology…until Emily flashed a look of anger and aggression to the red engine. After hearing the truth from Thomas, she was very pleased she didn't forgive James, but now she didn't even think of James as an engine…

"James!" she shouted. Just as James looked up, Emily was wearing the same expression of fury and vengeance she wore on the night she defied him and Gordon just before Thomas saved her. She didn't care if she woke up the whole neighbourhood. If she had to be aggressive, she'd do it just to protect Percy.

"You never learned your lesson, did you? Did you hear NOTHING the Fat Controller said after you and Gordon destroyed my happiness?! You may remember that I forgave everyone for giving up on me…except Gordon and you! I still haven't forgiven you, but now, after what you did to Percy, I wish the Fat Controller NEVER brought you here to begin with! You are still the same self-centered, uncaring, mean and insensitive wretch who hurt me for so long! Now you're hurting someone even smaller than you! You may have a number in the Steam Team, BUT YOU WILL NEVER BE A TRUE SODOR ENGINE!"

James gasped and his face formed a look of pure hurt and shock. Emily looked around and could see Gordon's face wearing a look of terror. Besides that, Henry and Edward were looking at her with wide, shocked eyes.

But James was the most hurt of all. Everything Emily said right in that moment felt so true to him. Now he had two ladies who did not forgive him. Molly refused to forgive him for hurting Emily, and Emily still refused to forgive him for just the same. This felt even worse than when the Fat Controller punished him and Gordon for hurting Emily. Being defied of even being a Sodor Engine was very harsh to comprehend.

As Emily glared at James again, he had fallen asleep, still wearing the fearful expression. Gordon fell back asleep too.

Edward whispered, "Why did you do that? You might have stirred up the neighbourhood, Emily."

"And I'm sorry if I did…but I had to give James the words of punishment he deserved for far too many years," Emily replied. Then she whispered quietly. "Don't you think he's broken his word to the Fat Controller? He's getting pleasure over being mean to someone smaller than him."

Edward stayed quiet for a moment, then spoke. "I'm afraid he must have forgotten, Emily. If anything more happens to Percy, you should tell the Fat Controller. Like Thomas told you. He can put a stop to this, and he will."

James ignored everything Edward and Emily said right there and continued to sleep.

Meanwhile, Thomas returned to Tidmouth Sheds and Emily heard him speaking up. He had been taking the mail and ran into Gator, only to learn that the new engine had not seen Percy and that his ship had arrived at the docks and he was now leaving.

"Where is he? Hasn't he come back yet? James." James was still asleep. "James! Where is he, James?!" snarled Thomas.

"Answer my saviour, you filthy nuisance!" snapped Emily.

James groaned and spoke up. "I already told you. He's doing something brave."

"Something brave? Like what?" asked Thomas.

"Oh, how should I know? Maybe he's gone up to the clay pits to catch a monster," replied James.

"Yes, James. The clay pits. Why didn't I think of that? Come on. We'd better find him before he gets into trouble!" said Thomas.

"I'm not going. Uh, I'm too sleepy," said James.

"What? You have to come. You have to apologize and...you're not scared, are you?" teased Thomas.

"Huh! No, I'm not!" huffed James. "I'll prove it by coming along!" Soon, he and James were huffing along the line for the Clay Pits.

"I'm not scared of anything. I'm the bravest engine on the Island of Sodor. Come on, Thomas, keep up!" huffed James.

Suddenly, a loud horn split the air. "The ship," whispered Thomas. Then Thomas remembered what Percy said about being as brave as Gator and going to a faraway land. All the memories when Rosie tried to run away because of Thomas' unfair anger towards her hit him like a runaway train.

"No. He wouldn't! James, wait!" But James disappeared around the bend on his way to the Clay Pits.

"What should I wait for?" he snickered. "It's just a ship, and Percy is sure to be trying to prove himself again only to be a wimp yet again…and I'll get to see him be ashamed in front of Bill and Ben!"

It turned out that Percy had been on Gator's ship and unloaded after Gator convinced him that running away from your problems doesn't help. Cranky had managed to stop the ship, but ended up being bent out of place and nearly pulled off the docks and into the water, but James didn't know this as he entered the Clay Pits site.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," he called quietly, hoping to find Percy. To his delight, he began to hear a voice up ahead.

"If I can find those footprints Thomas saw, it will prove that the monster is real, and then everyone will believe me and realize how brave I really am. But I do hope I only find footprints and not the monster again." James knew that voice and went faster.

Percy stopped at the danger signs. He had had trouble with going past danger signs before. And this was the area where the landslide had been.

Then James came by, still in a mild teasing manner. "Hello, scaredy-engine. Oh, sorry, Percy. I shouldn't have said that. Actually, what I do need to say is-"

"I'm braver than you'll ever be, James," Percy cut in.

"Oh, really? If you're so brave, why don't you keep going and look for the monster?" challenged James.

"But...it's not safe to go past danger signs," said Percy.

"Only if you are a scaredy-engine. Let's see who is really the bravest, shall we?" said James as he slowly huffed forward. Percy stayed put, choosing to be safe rather than push his luck and get into an accident.

"Monster. Oh, monster. Come out, come out wherever you are!" called James as he kept moving along through the valley.

"James, wait. This is not a good idea. It isn't brave not to be careful, James. It's silly," cautioned Percy.

"That's just what I'd expect a scaredy-engine to say," James replied as he huffed on.

"James, wait. Come back! It isn't safe!" Then a rock clattered from above, revealing a footprint. "Thomas was right." Thomas was at the Clay Pits too, looking for Percy, while James kept bragging and going further past the danger signs.

"Nobody can say I'm the scaredy-engine now. I mean, I don't see any other engines up here, nothing to be frightened of...at all," James bragged to himself as he proudly kept going. But there was something poking out of the rocks up ahead, and it looked like...

"The monster!" James stopped and reversed quickly. His shouts and whistles were heard by Thomas and Percy.

"The monster! The monster!" cried James.

"Th-the monster?" stammered Percy.

"I saw it!" cried James.

The cliffs were still unstable. Percy had to move back to get away from the danger. Then there was trouble. A boulder crashed right behind James. He could now go no further backwards.

"No, James. Go forward. It's a landslide!" called Percy.

"Percy, you have to get out of there!" shouted Thomas.

Percy heard Thomas, but James was desperately in need of help. Despite everything James had done, Percy couldn't leave him, leaving James to be buried by the landslide as punishment for his sins wasn't the right thing for him to do, that wasn't who Percy was. "James needs my help. I must be brave." So Percy puffed bravely into the landslide to save James.

"Percy! NO!" called Thomas. He wanted to tell Percy to let James be defeated after everything he did, but he was cut off by the falling rocks. Percy had already made his decision.

"Go forward!" cried Percy.

"The monster!" screamed James.

"Go forward!"

"The monster!"

"The landslide!"

"Landslide? Huh?!"

Percy rushed forward and shunted James on his way. The landslide began to follow closely behind them. James went faster and faster and so did Percy. They rushed past falling boulders and dust clouds…until Percy was lifted right up off the tracks by the landslide! James continued on past Bill, Ben and Marion. "Woah! Look out!" cried Marion. As Percy was pushed helplessly by the landslide, one rock knocked the monster's head off the cliff and fell through the air for Percy. "Oh no!" he cried and shut his and prepared for the worst...but just it was about to him, Marion caught it with her shovel, and the landslide finally stopped. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

Marion, Thomas, Bill and Ben were all amazed by Percy's bravery, and with his discovery of a fossil…of a dinosaur's head! Marion then started to get Percy back on track so he could get to the Steamworks to be repaired.

James was by himself not far from Marion, safe but shocked and astounded...and very ashamed. He could not believe how brave Percy was...saving him even after such horrific teasing. As he looked back on his actions towards the little green engine, he began to think how a certain engine would react if he...or she saw how badly he hurt someone again.

James let a small tear escape his eye. He huffed slowly and shamefully out of the Clay Pits, a sadder and wiser engine.

He huffed slowly and silently all along the line, feeling absolutely terrible. He had betrayed his love for Molly over the course of almost two days, abused Percy to making him almost run away from home, then having him end up in a frightening accident.

"Uhh," groaned James' driver. "I have NOTHING to say to you, James."

"Neither do I," said his fireman. "All I hope is that Sir Topham finds out about this and punishes you so we don't have to work with you for a while."

James said nothing, understanding their point. He didn't stop until he was at Crovan's Gate Station. For what felt like an hour, he just stood there in silence, thinking…and hearing.

 _"You are, no doubt, the most conniving, sneaky and terrible engine I've ever met! You may have given me a lot of joy in my life, but little did I know of what you really are underneath your false radiance! Several weeks ago, after Thomas saved Emily, many engines from around Sodor, even myself, came to the sheds to hear Emily's story. She told us every little detail of what happened and why she changed her ways…and I now see she was NEVER to blame."_

It was happening. James was already paying the punishment for betraying his feelings for the engine he loved so much.

 _"Alongside, Gordon, YOU were the real monster! For no reason, towards Emily, you were unlikable, mean, conceited, loud, deceitful and just downright uncaring! I cannot BELIEVE what a nasty beast you really are! You boast, rant and rave to the other engines almost non-stop about your red paint and how you're the 'pride of the line'!"_

"I'm no longer the pride of anything," whimpered James, but the voices kept ringing through him.

 _"YOU made me hate her for nothing and made her suffer all the more! You should have protected Emily from Gordon like a real friend, but you took your other chance and SMASHED her joy to pieces, you MONSTER!"_

James' thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice.

James!" called Thomas. "There you are."

"What do you want, Thomas?" James asked, obviously very upset with himself.

"I want you to come to the Steamworks! Percy is being repaired," said Thomas.

"How is he, Thomas? Is he alright? I almost ended up destroying him back there at the Clay Pits."

"Don't YOU start," said Thomas. "I already had to address Emily saying the same thing. Percy is certainly damaged, but it's nothing fatal, and his crew is alright too."

"Just take me there, please," said James. And he followed Thomas to the Steamworks without another word. When they got there, Kevin was outside after hearing a sound.

"How's Percy getting on, Kevin?" James asked with concern.

"Well, they're still getting the earth out of his funnel. But it shouldn't be too long now," said Kevin. But then…

"Hello." There was Percy.

"Percy! I...I owe you an apology. I played a trick on you and made a scrap monster to scare you. I'm so sorry, Percy," James said with honesty.

"And I'm sorry too. I should have listened when you told me about the monster. I should have believed you. I hope we're still friends," said Thomas.

"Of course we are. We all are," said Percy. After the three friends laughed a little, Emily came out beside Percy. Thomas was happy to see that she was still supporting Percy with her company. But all of a sudden, Henry came rattling angrily alongside Thomas.

"It's all over, James," he hissed. "You won't get away this time."

James knew this would happen sooner or later…then the anger shot into the air.

"JAMES THE RED ENGINE!" roared an all-too familiar voice from Henry's cab. "WHAT do you think you're DOING?!" It was the Fat Controller. He stepped down from Henry, climbed onto James' running plate and pointed a finger straight at his face.

"YOU, James, are an engine of MY railway, and an engine of the Steam Team! You will do as I say WHEN I say it, and obey all my orders! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

James said nothing, but the fear and shame his face was showing answered the question, yes.

"YOU have caused confusion and delay! Percy has been terribly frightened! You stole a whole pile of scrap and scared Percy just so you could get pleasure out of teasing him! He almost ran away to desperately prove his bravery, Cranky was almost pulled right off the docks, and because of YOU, Percy was nearly destroyed and his crew was nearly killed by a landslide!"

"You really are over exaggerating that, sir. The damage was nothing fatal, and my driver and fireman are perfectly fine, if a little shaken," interrupted Percy, while Thomas looked nervously away when the Fat Controller mentioned Cranky.

"He made a poor engine suffer just for the pleasure and amusement!" shouted Henry. "James broke his word to the Fat Controller and disobeyed his orders again!"

"Is everyone going to ignore what I just said?" Percy asked no one in particular.

The Fat Controller swung round to Henry. "As such, James the Red Engine is BANISHED!" Thomas, Percy, and Emily all gasped.

The Fat Controller swung back to James. "Emily and Thomas have told me everything! Things worked MUCH better here before you arrived! I shall NOT be allowing you back for a whole fortnight!" he thundered.

James didn't argue. In spite of Emily and the Fat Controller's exaggerations, everything else that was just said, he felt was true…even his banishment. If anything, he felt like he deserved to leave Sodor for everything he was. He only viewed himself as a selfish, thick-headed, obstinate, difficult, conceited fool who had no purpose in life.

 _"So be it,"_ he thought. _"I WILL go away. This place is too full of agony. Molly won't even mind if I leave Sodor. I'm sure she'll be very happy about it."_ He started to reverse without a word when Percy's voice spoke up suddenly. "Wait! James, don't go!"

"What did you say?" exclaimed the Fat Controller.

"Let James stay! Please!" pleaded Percy.

"After what he did to you?! And after breaking his word?!" argued Henry.

"But he's truly sorry…he really is!" protested Percy.

"Yes, sir," said Thomas. "James is sorry and he really means it."

"But…he broke his word I made after you saved Emily, Thomas. I said that disrupted peace will not go unpunished," said the Fat Controller.

"Yes, I fully agree," said Thomas. "But you can't send him away from his home…you bought him in the first place, and now you're going to throw him out? He's number 5…a member of the Steam Team…give him a lighter punishment…let him stay…"

The Fat Controller thought long and hard…James was indeed a self-indulgent engine, very selfish, blind and stubborn…but he was still an engine of Sodor who still wanted to be responsible, reliable and really useful.

James was also surprised. Why would Percy save him from that landslide after all the teasing and bullying he had dealt with? Why would he try to protect James after all of that? How could James be forgiven so quickly by the very engine he victimized? He suddenly looked alert when he heard the Fat Controller speak again.

"Very well…" he finally said. "I will put him back in the out-of-use siding for a fortnight instead," he said. Henry's anger faded and he sighed quietly to himself.

"Two weeks…I would have accepted much longer, but whatever punishment is given to me, I will accept," said James in a submissive manner, but secretly he would have preferred banishment.

"Thank you, James," said the Fat Controller. "You will start your fortnight there tonight…meanwhile, once Percy is mended, come to the Town Square. I have something to present to you."

The presentation was a dinosaur model and the Fat controller congratulated Percy for being a fossil hunter and being one of the bravest engines on Sodor. That evening, Gator bade farewell to Percy and went back to the Mainland. Percy felt sad and Emily offered to give him some motherly affection at Tidmouth Sheds.

While she was doing this, Thomas and James were making their way back on the main line so Thomas could go to Tidmouth Sheds later.

"Well…" said James. "I guess I'd better go to the out-of-use siding for the next two weeks…"

"Alright, James," said Thomas. "I'm just glad you and Percy are resolved."

James didn't answer as Thomas huffed on. James then huffed slower, pacing himself. Molly's voice was still fresh in his mind and he knew it would stay fresh for quite a while. At last, he came to the out-of-use siding, exactly where he was when he and Gordon were found out by the Fat Controller.

"Well, James," said his driver. "At lease we'll get some peace from you after all. Maybe this will make you think twice."

Workmen once again boarded up his control panel, but at least it would only be for two weeks. That was considered a short time by some, but for James, a fortnight by himself was only doing one thing, right from the first moment…reawakening memories and fears. Only a few minutes after the workmen left him alone, James could hear Molly dumping him ringing through his head.

 _"When I first met you, you did look out for me…but even when I was helping you get over your jealousy, I wondered what your flaws were. Why do you always try to shove yourself into spotlight and make everyone around you think you're the best instead of thinking about what they really think?!"_

What had begun as a rather hopeful redemption had changed to the biggest failure James could bring upon himself.

 _"You lied, James! You lied to Thomas, you lied to the Steam Team, you lied to ME…and like a fool, I believed you! I have never felt so ridiculous and silly to fall for your tricks! I now have the sensation that I don't know you anymore!"_

James' eyes filled with tears as he couldn't believe he betrayed his Shining Sun. He felt like he was completely worthless for her now. Her ending their relationship all that while ago seemed like it would stay that way now.

 _"I want you to leave me, James. I am done! I don't EVER want to see you in my presence again! This relationship is over and done for!"_

Finally, James' tears fell and he broke the silence, making the voice in his head fade.

"What am I fooling myself?" he whispered. "She'll never trust me at this rate. And I might as well face it; she'll never forgive me for what I am. My hobbies are unchangeable, as much as I want to break away from them. Everything she said is true…I guess it means my heart and joy is going to stay dead for…all of…forever. I'm not a Radiant Ruby, and I'm not a splendid engine…I am a terrible, silly, awful, lackluster, worthless…cracked ruby." And with that, James closed his eyes and just lamented as long as he would, feeling overwhelmed by his final defeat.

* * *

At that moment in Knapford Sheds, Thomas and Emily stared at James with wonder and deep thought in Knapford Sheds. This was the end of his story.

"So there you are…" James murmured to Thomas and Emily. "That's the entire story of my relationship with Molly the Yellow Engine."

Thomas and Emily were both deeply enthralled by all of this. Throughout the past few evenings, they had learned so much about James and they never imagined he had any of these experiences happen to him, but now they knew everything about his life with Molly.

"Thank you, James," said Emily. "That was an amazing story. Full of drama, conflict, sadness, joy and struggles. Now we know everything…and I think you had quite a time trying to get her back."

"James…with the exception of seeing Molly on the evening you began to tell your story…have you seen her at all recently, aside from that?"

"Only once," said James. "Remember when the auroras shone here last winter?"

"Yes," said Emily. "Did you see them?"

"I was wondering along the line, staring at the sky, when I saw Molly at Crovan's Gate Station. She was watching them herself. I tried to speak up to her, but she took off again, leaving me by myself..." He stopped short as his face began to form a red flush. Thomas and Emily knew what this could mean.

Then James began to cry. All his stories were done and he still didn't have Molly back.

"It isn't fair," he said with a shaky voice. "After all these years, I tried EVERYTHING ad she still hasn't forgiven me. I haven't got a hope!"

"I say, James-" said Emily, but James kept talking.

"It's over! I've lost! I have to take it the hard way! I just live out in agony, suffering, envy, always hating everything that happens!"

"James…" began Thomas.

"No!" James cut in.

Then Emily tried. "James-"

"Don't try to console me, either of you!" he sobbed. "You see before yourselves, the once Radiant Ruby, James, now broken beyond repair!" With no more words spoken, James continued to sob hard, big tears leaking through his shut eyes at such a fast rate.

Thomas and Emily remained silent for quite a while and let James release his despair until he felt better.

"James," said Emily, breaking the silence. "I have an idea. Why don't Thomas and I find Molly the next time we see her and bring her right to you?"

"Yes, James," added Thomas. "We'll tell her how you really feel about her and we'll convince her to listen and come back to you."

James was very touched by this. He felt as though his bravery of telling his stories had more than paid off.

"You…you'll do that? Will you really bring her to me?" he asked.

"We mean it, James," said Emily.

"I would love for you to do that," he gasped. "Once again, Emily…I'm truly so sorry for every last thing Gordon and I put you through. And Thomas, thank you! Thank you both, so much for being so helpful and caring for my relationship with Molly. I know it's hard to believe and I know we may not get along all the time, but I must say, both of you are two of my best friends! You've given me hope again! If you can save my Shining Sun and bring her back to joy too…I'll be Radiant again! I may still have poor hobbies, but I do want to be really useful, and I really do love my sun…"

So it was agreed. The next morning, Thomas and Emily would search Molly out. Then they would see if the cracked ruby would stay cracked, or be put back together and be radiant again.

* * *

Was that depressing enough for you? With this, we're done with the flashbacks, it's finally time for original content, the last two chapters are going to close the book on James' redemption. Will he finally regain happiness, or is he doomed to continue spending the rest of his life in constant depression? I think the answer is fairly obvious, but still, leave your reviews and look forward to the penultimate chapter of "A Cracked Ruby".


	9. A Heroic Sacrifice

The time had now come. It was the morning after James finished his story completely. Thomas and Emily had spent six evenings hearing the story and they now knew everything that had happened from the beginning to end of James' relationship with Molly, how James tried getting her back and how it went wrong. Only now would they learn if Molly would let go of her past hatred or live on with a heart of stone for James.

Thomas, Emily and James all woke up to the sunlight beaming through Knapford Sheds. They all knew of their plan to fetch Molly and bring her to James. James was feeling excited, but all the same, quite nervous too.

"Well, this is it," he said. "I'm gonna get back with Molly one way or another, or I must let go of her completely. I need to see her as soon as I can, Thomas."

"And we'll try to talk with her, James," said Thomas.

"That's right. We'll convince her of what you told us and we'll see what she thinks," said Emily.

Thomas and Emily's driver and fireman arrived to start them for work. But as they left Knapford Sheds, they noticed James stayed put.

"James? What about you?" called Thomas. James' fireman checked what was going on.

"His fire's slow," he said. "It'll have to be shaken before he goes anywhere." Thomas and Emily didn't mind this. They could still find Molly for James and bring her to him.

"I need to head for the harbour, Thomas," said Emily. "Why don't you try to find Molly first?"

"Alright, Emily," said Thomas. "But if Molly isn't convinced by me, I'm gonna need you to find her at some point."

"I'll try, Thomas," she promised. And with that, they went on their separate rails and off for their jobs.

Thomas passed through shunting yards to find Knapford Station and fetch Annie and Clarabel to start his Branch Line run. As he went to couple up to them, he saw Molly talking to the Fat Controller and his hopes began to rise.

"Molly," said the Fat Controller. "You must gather loads of stone from the Blue Mountain Quarry to deliver to the harbour."

"Yes sir," said Molly.

Thomas saw his chance. He could try talking to her, and if that didn't work, it would be up to Emily, or even James. As soon as Annie and Clarabel were coupled up, Thomas started rather quickly.

"Thomas? What's the hurry?" asked the coaches.

"Can't explain now, your ladyships," said Thomas. He hurried to the points and switched to the line beside Molly. As she started on her way, she came up beside Thomas.

"Hello, Molly," he greeted.

"Good morning, Thomas," answered Molly. "I haven't seen you for…six days. Emily's been absent as well. What have you been up to? Were you enjoying your nights at Knapford Sheds?" She added, giving him a wink.

"Well…yes and no, Molly," said Thomas. "You see, Emily and I have been talking to James for those six evenings…he needs you to see him whenever you have the time…he has something to tell you."

"James? You let James sleep with you and Emily?! And if you think he has something to say to me, I don't think so," Molly sniffed. "He's the one besides Gordon who hurt Emily so badly, and he deceived me by lying to me about her!" And she set off obstinately for the Blue Mountain Quarry while Thomas was switched away from her and on toward his Branch Line.

"Oh dear," said Thomas. "She still isn't convinced. I do hope Emily meets her and tries to convince her. She's working at the harbour after all…"

Molly was making her way to the Quarry and she began to think about what Thomas had said.

 _"What would James want to tell me after several years of no contact?"_ she thought. _"And what would Thomas know? James loves to keep secrets just for himself!"_ Soon, she came to a red signal. Emily was at the junction, hoping to meet Molly. The plan was working.

"Hello, Molly," she whistled.

"Hi, Emily," said Molly.

"I was thinking, Molly," said Emily. "May I escort you to James this evening?"

"Don't you start, Emily," retorted Molly. "I know what this is about. Thomas told me that James has something to say, but it's just gonna be-"

"Molly, listen to me," insisted Emily. "Over the past six evenings, James told me and Thomas everything. He revealed that you and him had a relationship together, that it started out well, but ended badly. He told us about everything he did to redeem himself and how that plan failed. He didn't leave out any details, and he was actually very sad at times."

Molly was surprised by what Emily just explained. She didn't think James would be so open and honest with his romantic feelings with anyone.

"He…he did? Did he really tell you every last detail?" she asked.

"Yes," said Emily. "He's been feeling terrible…and he really wants you back, Molly." But the yellow engine wasn't convinced. Despite James explaining everything, she had her own suspicions, being sensitive as she was.

"I still don't think he'd truly care for me! If I went to see him, I'm sure he'd just try to bluff all over again. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to gather stone from the Blue Mountain Quarry and make a delivery to the harbour!" Then Molly's signal went green and she set off hastily. As the yellow engine huffed by, Emily suddenly heard a squeak coming from Molly's wheels. It sounded a little shrill and squeaking could only mean a problem.

"Wait, Molly?" she called. But it was too late. Molly had already disappeared. Emily still heard the squeak in the distance and grew worried.

 _"What could that be?"_ she thought. _"I'd better tell James."_ So she quickly made her way back to the shunting yards in the hopes that James would have had his fire shaken by now. When she arrived, she saw him just passing through.

"James? James!" she called urgently.

"What is it, Emily?" asked James.

"Molly's on her way to the Blue Mountain Quarry. I told her about our evenings of stories…"

"Do tell, Emily," James said nervously. "What are her thoughts? Will she see me anytime soon and listen?"

"She doesn't seem to want to," said Emily. "But that's not the point. As she left, I heard a loud squeak coming from her...I'm feeling worried. She could break down…or have failed brakes…or a damaged safety valve, I don't know."

James heard what Emily said and became frightened for Molly. Even while his relationship was still going well, he never heard of Molly being at risk or in danger. Being the first time she was at risk, James felt like it was all up to him now. No matter what she would think or say, he suddenly set off with terrific speed to make sure she wouldn't end up in trouble.

"She could have any of those problems! She needs to know right now!" he thought.

"James, what are you doing?" called Emily.

"I lost my Shining Sun once! I'm NOT gonna lose her again!" whistled James. He huffed hastily along the line that led to the Blue Mountain Quarry. Eventually, he stopped a good distance away from the quarry and waited for Molly to come back with her load of stone.

"I can't just give in to her displeasure," he said to himself. "Maybe I should be firm, if that squeak is something serious that could cause trouble for her. If she doesn't listen, she'll have a problem…and even if she doesn't like it, I'm gonna help her."

After a while, she heard a noisy squeak coming toward him. He was sure it was Molly, just like Emily described with the squeak. Sure enough, she came out of the quarry with her load for the harbour. When she noticed James beside her line, she once again shut her eyes and pouted her lips. But James was ready as he began to huff beside her.

"Molly…" he began "Would you-?"

"Hush up, James!" rebuffed Molly. "I know you have 'something to say,' but I have NOTHING to say to YOU."

"Molly!" pleaded James. "I do have something to say, but that's not why I'm here! Emily told me she heard something as you came to the quarry! You hear that squeak?" Molly listened to the squeak, but didn't think much of it.

"Squeak? Pah!" she snorted. "All steam engines squeak sometimes. Just a touch of grease and it'll be fine. You're just paranoid!"

But as she gained speed, James heard the squeak get louder and shriller. He became even more frightened and followed her. He hoped against hope that she wouldn't have a problem like breaking down, bursting a safety valve, or have faulty brakes. Eventually, they came to a set of points. James let molly pass by a little, then he whistled to the signalman to turn the points. Now, James was following directly behind Molly on the same line. He kept feeling concerned over her chances…until he looked ahead and his heart sank. There was Gordon's Hill. As Molly began to climb, James didn't only hear a squeak, but also a rattle coming from her wheels.

"Molly! Stop! I don't think this is a good idea! You might have an accident! Please, listen!" he called behind her.

"Ohh, stop your whining, James!" she snapped back. "I'm done with your bluffing!" Molly got to the top of Gordon's Hill, then started going down quickly. Her driver worked her brake lever to help slow her down…only to receive a loud squeak. Her driver tried again, but the squeak became louder.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked, suddenly worried.

"Your brakes, Molly! That squeaking sound…it must have been your brakes getting weak…now they don't work at all!" called her driver.

"What?!" cried Molly. Her driver pulled another lever and managed to reduce steam, but Molly was still going too fast…and the weight of her stone trucks began to push her even faster down the hill! James got to the top and watched in horror as Molly began to take off faster and faster.

"Oh no!" exclaimed her driver, still working the lever in vain.

"I can't stop! Help! HELP!" she cried frantically.

"Molly!" cried James. "I have to help her!"

But James couldn't couple to her train and pull her back. She was going too fast already. All he could do was chase after her all the way down the hill. The weight of the trucks pushed Molly so hard, she gradually got further from James. The red engine went as fast as he could, desperate to save her. Slowly, but surely, he caught up to her again.

"Whoa! Too fast!" cried Molly. "Someone help me!" But then Molly looked far down the track and saw Hiro coming toward her head on! Molly whistled in terror.

"Look out, Hiro!" she wailed.

"My goodness, Molly!" whistled Hiro.

James heard Hiro and was very scared for Molly now. He couldn't stand the thought of her getting severely damaged, not after she left him. If he didn't get her love back, he still wouldn't let her get hurt.

 _"She needs a clear track to switch to!"_ he thought. He looked far down the right track and saw Norman pulling a long train of tar wagons.

"Can't send her that way," he said to himself. He suddenly heard Molly cry out in fear as Hiro came closer and closer.

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh NOOOO!" she cried.

"HELP!" bellowed Hiro. Then James looked to the left. To his relief, it was clear and safe enough for Molly. At that moment, James saw a signal box passing by quickly.

"Switch the track for Molly!" he whistled. "To the left! TO THE LEFT!" The signalman acted quickly and switched Molly for the left line. As soon as James heard the signal bell, he turned his wheels faster than he ever did before and buffered to Molly's train. She felt the sudden surge forward and cried for help again…then she heard a yell from behind.

"Don't worry, Molly! I've got you!" yelled James. He summoned all the strength in his boiler and firebox and pushed Molly as fast as he could to the left line. His funnel was burning and his wheels hurt him, but he didn't care. He would not let his Shining Sun get injured. Molly was frightened and surprised now as she came closer to the switch for the left line.

"James! What are you doing?" she called.

"Hurry, Molly!" shouted James. "Go! NOW!"

Molly huffed onto the left line and just as her brakevan cleared Hiro's line, he flew right past. In the fear and confusion, the signalman pulled another lever and James was suddenly, and quite by accident, switched away from Hiro…and onto the right line, towards Norman and his tar wagons!

"James! Look out!" called Norman as he picked up speed. He managed to get out of James' way…but the tar wagons didn't. James was still going very fast and shut his eyes…He felt a crash against his buffers, then heard a heart-flinching, splintering crash. The tar wagon he hit smashed open and the dome went flying high into the air. Some other tar wagons burst open, splashing sticky, hot tar all over James' paintwork once again…exactly how he looked after calling Toby a "dirty object," only this time, he was more hurt than dirty. The crumpled tar wagons crumpled and disjointed his wheels, and his front was severely twisted.

Despite the pain from his damage, James tried to look beyond the wagons to his left, and thought he saw Molly's train huffing safely on, but suddenly, the dome that flew into the air plummeted back down, then struck his head…and he saw no more.

As she continued on her way to the harbour, Molly managed to slow down now that she was on level tracks with no hills. After she had cleared Hiro's line, she heard the loud crash back there and was utterly stunned. She did not expect James to try and save her from a horrific accident, but she also did not expect him to sacrifice himself for her in such a painful way.

"Flatten my Funnel!" she breathed. "He…he really saved me, didn't he? And I'd better me more careful the rest of the way." And Molly took her train on, bound for the harbour, while James was knocked out and lost in an unconscious oblivion…until he would learn what results his efforts would bring to himself and his Sun.

* * *

A bit short, but quality over quantity in this instance I suppose. Only one chapter left. This shouldn't have taken nearly a year to complete, but I digress. All that is left is to see if James' sacrifice was enough win Molly's heart again. So, next time we're finally putting an end to this story. Leave reviews and see ya then.


	10. Ruby and Sun Shine Together

As Molly made her way safely and slowly along the line with her load of stone, she was constantly thinking about what just happened with James, Hiro and Norman. She had been rebuffing James all these years, and in spite of that, he still saved her from a certain nasty accident.

"I just can't believe it," she murmured. ""And I thought he didn't like me anymore after he teased Percy so badly…What can I say about this? What can I do with the bravery he showed? I can't rebuff him for that…"

She eventually arrived at the harbour and delivered all her stone. As she began to slowly make her way back, she began thinking to herself about her relationship with James even after it ended. She never admitted it, but she wanted peace with him again and she wanted her relationship with him to rekindle. She too had been lonely all those years. She felt like James brought his misery upon himself, but she lost him too. It wasn't just him who was brought low. She had someone taken from her too, and being rescued certainly rekindled hope within her.

At that moment, Molly saw Emily shunting tankers to a siding. Molly whistled to Emily and she whistled back.

"Molly!" said Emily. "Hello there."

"H-h-hi, Emily," stammered Molly.

"What happened, Molly? You look nervous," said Emily.

"Oh…Emily…It was so scary. It's James. After I gathered my stone, James tried to convince me something was wrong with me after he heard a squeaking sound coming from me. I thought he was bluffing again, but as I went down Gordon's Hill, it turns out his concern for me was right. My brakes aren't working. I was rocketing down the line, towards Hiro! Then James came up behind me, called for the points to be switched to the left, then he pushed me with all his might out of Hiro's way, but then he was accidentally switched to Norman's line and I heard him crash into some tar wagons!"

"Dear me, Molly!" gasped Emily. "You must have been frightened."

"I was, Emily…but…I can't believe he actually tried to save me…after all these years I've been avoiding him," said Molly.

"Molly," Emily said a little desperately. "PLEASE, try to forgive James. What would have happened if he didn't follow you? I'll tell you what what would have happened. YOU would have had that accident instead of him. He likely saved your life back there! You can't keep rebuffing him after he sacrificed himself for you!"

Molly knew Emily was right. "I guess you're right, Emily," she agreed.

"But before that," said her driver. "I say we get your brakes fixed, Molly. I don't want to face another horrific event like that again."

"Yes, sir." Then she turned to Emily. "I understand what you mean, Emily. James did make a sacrifice. Whenever he's repaired, I'll be sure to meet him and listen to whatever he has to say to me."

"But first things first, you need to go to the Steamworks, and with dodgy brakes it's probably too dangerous for you go on your own. I'll shunt you there myself, so you won't get into anymore trouble," Emily suggested.

"Thanks, Emily..." Molly replied quietly. As she buffered up behind Molly slowly shunted her way out of the harbour, Emily sighed to herself. All she could do was hope and have faith with Thomas. Molly was indeed thankful for James' bravery. It was just a matter of if that would be enough to seal the cracks on the ruby…

Meanwhile, back at the scene of the accident, Harvey arrived to clear away the smashed tar wagons, Edward had brought Judy and Jerome to help James to safety and Harold had brought the Fat Controller.

"There he is, sir," said Harold as he landed beside the line. "He looks rather battered to me."

"James!" The Fat Controller began crossly. "What is the matter with-"

"He's unconscious, sir. He can't hear you," said Norman. "In fact, you should be thanking him. Molly came rushing through here and James pushed her to safety while he crashed into me. He likely saved her life."

"Oh! Well, that does make a difference," said the Fat Controller. "When he comes to, I'll be sure to reward him."

With that, the unconscious James was hauled onto Judy and Jerome's flatbed and escorted to the Steamworks. Once he was there, he was lifted up into the air to be checked over, and he still didn't come to.

"Goodness me!" exclaimed Victor. "Whatever has happened to James?"

"I don't know, boss," replied Kevin. "Must have taken a bump to the head."

Workmen came by and examined James front to back to see what had to be done to fix him. As they checked from buffer-beam to tender, they found many things to do. Aside from a badly twisted front and disfigured wheels, James' paintwork was indeed covered in black tar that would take quite a while to scrub off, as well as scratches from his accident with the wagons.

While the men inspected James, Emily arrived with Molly. Emily didn't dare try to catch a glimpse of James' damage, so she left as quickly as she could, only whistling to signal her departure.

"Molly, my friend. What brings you here?" asked Victor.

"My brakes aren't working," she said. "They'll need fixing and…" Molly stopped as she took a glimpse at James.

"Oh-Ohh! James!" she exclaimed. "My gosh! Is he alright, Victor?"

"I'm not sure," said Victor. "He seems to be knocked out after quite a crash."

"Oh my!" gasped Molly. "He took all that damage just to save me!"

"Save you? But how?" asked Victor.

"I was on Gordon's Hill when my brakes failed," said Molly. "And James was right behind me. I would have crashed into Hiro or Norman, if it hadn't been for James. He pushed me to a clear line and let himself crash."

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed Victor. "How brave! Well, you shall have to wait for your brakes to be checked, Molly. The workmen are busy checking James now, but they'll get to you in good time."

"Thank you, Victor," said Molly. "I can wait for my turn." But as she found a rail to settle on and wait, Molly couldn't help but look at James again. Now she could see what a big sacrifice he really made for her. Risking himself to the point of being knocked out never crossed her mind or even her comprehension of any possibility.

 _"I hope he's mended soon,"_ she thought. _"He said he has something to say to me…I think I have a few things to say too."_

Eventually, the workmen took a chance to check Molly's brakes.

"Oh, it's not too bad, Molly," one of them said. "But with James to work hard on, it may take until tomorrow morning before you fit to go again."

"That's alright, sir," said Molly. Luckily some workmen were able to get a start on her brakes while the others began to start on James. They lowered him back down to the rails and got to work cleaning the tar off. On into the evening, the work continued on James and Molly. All Molly could do was think deeply and hope to herself that she could come back to James somehow. In spite of somewhat noisy work checking her brakes and cleaning James, Molly soon became tired as her workmen had to work on James again. Hearing the sounds of the Steamworks actually lulled Molly a little. Her eyes became heavy and she yawned softly to herself.

"Molly…" she whispered to herself. "There's good in James…I know. I know there's…still…" but as she whispered those words, Molly's eyes shut and she began to sleep deeply. As the work continued, she began to snore peacefully and whisper in her dreams.

"Zzz…James, thank you…Zzz…for being such a friend…Zzz…Thank you so much…" she whispered.

The next morning, as Molly woke up, another particular engine began to regain his nerves and senses. He heard creaking, cranking and greasing. He could feel a sense of something or someone working on him…James very slowly opened his eyes as he regained his consciousness and breathed in…then he felt great pain. He felt a strong ache inside him from all the damage…He looked slowly around himself and figured out he was in the Steamworks, but then he groaned. He had such a bump to the head, it hurt to even move his eyes.

Presently, he heard Victor's voice speaking to him. "James...can you hear me?" From somewhere else nearby, Molly heard Victor and listened intently for a response.

"…Yes, Victor," came the long awaited reply, making Molly sigh quietly in relief. James had such a strike to the head, he didn't remember everything that happened at the accident…but then…

"Where is Molly?" he asked, looking at Victor. "Is she safe? …Is she alright?" Victor remained quiet for a moment, thinking about what to say, and James waited nervously. Molly was right there in the Steamworks, remaining silent herself. James was actually worried for her.

After a moment or two, Victor spoke. "…It seems, in your bravery, you rescued her."

"Oh, thank goodness!" James exhaled. "I was afraid she might have got into more trouble."

"Not at all, James," said Victor. "She arrived just after you did and her brakes are just about fixed. You, however will take quite a while to be fixed. You'll need a new front and new wheels, as well as a good scrubbing and paint over scratches. That could take a while to arrange…as long as a week."

James was disappointed to hear that, but still glad that Molly was alright. Then he heard her voice somewhere from the right.

"Are my brakes ready now?" she asked a workman.

"Yes they are, Molly. Take care now," said the workman. And Molly slowly made her way out of the Steamworks…but not before taking a glimpse at James. James saw her wink as she left. That gave James a ray of hope he had not felt ever since his redemption mission was still in operation. But that hope soon became nervousness as he comprehended the fact that he'd be stuck here under repair for a week.

The days passed. James was gradually repaired and checked over. During that week, Molly waited endlessly for James to be ready and Thomas and Emily kept praying to themselves that all would be well for James and Molly in the end.

At long last, by the end of the week in the evening, James was repaired. His front was fully mended, he had a new set of fresh black wheels and his paintwork was smooth and red again. The cracked ruby was now ready to approach Molly and try one last time to make up with her.

 _"Alright…no more thinking. It's time to do it,"_ he said to himself as he huffed out the doors. He slowly made his way past Tidmouth Sheds, through Knapford Station and into the shunting yards. To his surprise, he saw Molly waiting for him. Thomas and Emily were with her too, buffer to buffer and waiting for either engine to say something. Molly noticed James and blinked. James swallowed hard and came closer to her, feeling excited and a little frightened. Thomas and Emily didn't dare make a move or a sound.

Eventually, James stopped just a few inches away from the yellow engine. Molly took a moment or two before she spoke. "James…so you're here."

"Molly…" he replied. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

"James? What you did for me a week ago…was very brave…and kind of you to do. You actually rescued me from a horrible crash and let yourself crash for me…I do hope you're alright now."

James closed his eyes, his energy building up rapidly.

"Also…I remember hearing that you had something to say to me when you met me outside the quarry," continued Molly.

"Yes…yes, I did," answered James as he felt a lump begin to form in his throat. Then his eyes began to water. Molly saw this and grew a little worried. At last, James' barriers fell and he couldn't hold in his guilt.

"Please, Molly…I saved you because you're my Shining Sun and you always have been! I couldn't bear to see you get hurt, even if you didn't love me! I could see you still didn't approve of me, but I've been trying every last thing over the years to convince you that I still care for you, and I know you're a sensitive engine, but I've been so desperate and so lonely without you in my life. I really want you to know right now…I'm sorry for deceiving you about Emily…I'm sorry for every last thing I did to her alongside Gordon and I never wanted you to be betrayed by me! I'm truly so sorry for what I am and who I've hurt over the years, and I really don't enjoy doing it! I don't expect you to forgive me, but I really hope you know…I'm sorry, Molly! I'M SORR-Y-Y-Y!"

Molly had listened to everything James had just said and thought deeply. She knew that James had been trying to win her back ever since he lost her and she had rejected and disapproved of all his efforts. He had manipulated and hurt Emily for years alongside Gordon and Molly felt that he could never have a chance with her again…but she was also aware of her predicament just that past week. She couldn't believe that James saved her from a very nasty accident. In that moment, she could finally see that despite everything he had done to Emily, James was truly sorry for it and he remained in love with Molly for all those years.

Molly finally smiled at her cracked ruby.

"You know what, James? I can see how much I mean to you now. You wanted to make me happy during all those years of your attempted redemption, and only recently, you rescued me from a terrible accident. The more I think about it now, you really did want to prove your worth during your redemption mission, even if it had rough spots at times. I must admit, you didn't just lose me…I lost you. Even I was hoping every now and then that we could be rekindled somehow, but I couldn't hold onto those hopes because of my sensitive nature. You've done so much to help your friends, and to help me. For all that, I must say…I now accept all your apologies. You've proven yourself well-meaning, truthful and unselfish."

James could not believe the words he just heard. His Shining Sun was actually happy, and she actually forgave him. He had been waiting for years to hear these words and now his miracle finally came. What Molly said next made him shudder with overwhelming joy.

"Give me your buffers…my Radiant Ruby." James slowly and shakily came forward, closer to Molly's buffers. And then after so many years, Ruby and Sun's buffers touched gently together. They looked into each other's eyes…then finally spoke the words they always wanted to speak.

"I…I love you, Molly," whispered James.

"R-really?" Molly gasped. "Do you love me?"

"More than anything…my Shining Sun," smiled James.

"Oh, James!" Molly gasped as she began to cry with joy. "You don't know how much I wanted you to say that, even when we first met and began our relationship! I love you too, James!" She buffered closer until her nose touched James'.

"Oh! I promised myself I wouldn't cry…AHH!" James sobbed as he and Molly cried happily together. Thomas and Emily were very happy too.

"We DID IT!" Emily whistled.

"Hallelujah! Ruby and Sun are shining together again!" whistled Thomas. And the two engine couples rejoiced together for several minutes before they finally calmed down.

In the end, the stars began to appear in the darkening sky, and a thought hit Emily's mind. For the past six evenings of telling stories as well as the extra week of waiting for James to be repaired, she and Thomas had not done their nightly routine of affections. She looked at him smoothly.

"Oh, Tommy…" she purred. "James and Molly have finally reconciled…which means…are you ready for some fun at Knapford Sheds?" She smooched her lips at him, making him blush deeply.

"Uh…y-yes, I'd like to have fun…but not in Knapford Sheds," said Thomas.

"What? Why not?" asked Emily.

Thomas turned his gaze to James and Molly. "You two can take Knapford Sheds and reunite even more there if you want," he smiled.

"Thank you, Thomas," James and Molly said together as they set off.

"Goodnight, you two!" called Emily before she turned to Thomas. "As for you…" she said seductively.

"Uh-oh," Thomas giggled madly. Then he and Emily came together and gently started exchanging their long-overdue kissing.

James gave Molly a ride by pushing her smoothly along the line until they reached Thomas and Emily's beloved shed.

"Here we are, Molly. Come in, come in!" James chimed as he gently pushed her inside.

"So this…is Thomas and Emily's 'Love Shed'…it's very cozy, James," Molly said sweetly.

"I know. This is where I told them everything from beginning to end about you and I," said James.

"Well, I'm just so happy we can start building our relationship again," Molly said before sighing calmly. She and James remained silent for a few moments, still trying to comprehend that they were back together at last. As James looked into Molly's eyes, she suddenly felt a strong desire to do something. As sensitive and shy as she could be, she got a tremendous urge to do something she secretly thought herself for a while way back when.

"James…" she whispered. "I…I want…to…"

"Yes, Molly?" James asked kindly.

"You know…we're back together…"

"What is it, Molly?" smiled James.

Molly didn't answer as she buffered as close as she could to James. James watched her movements intently. Suddenly, Molly began to blush very deeply…she buffered even closer…her lips very slowly puckered, then for the first time in her life, she kissed James very softly on his cheek.

"Mmm…" she moaned excitedly as she felt James' tender cheek on her lips. Much like when Emily kissed Thomas, Molly always wondered to herself what it would be like to kiss an engine…even James when she still liked him back then, and she thought this was the loveliest moment of her life.

As for James, no words could describe what he was feeling. Just like Emily, Molly's lips were so soft, warm and gentle…almost like the pedals of a flower upon his cheek. He blushed a deeper red than he ever did in his life and sighed blissfully. Molly eventually let go and looked at James, smiling very happily. James smiled right back, still feeling her velvet-like lips on his cheek. At last the silence was broken.

"I love you, James, my Radiant Ruby," Molly purred peacefully.

"I love you too, Molly, my Shining Sun," James murmured back.

"James…" Molly whispered. "Kiss me…please? Kiss me, James…I really want to feel what love is like…"

"Are you sure, Molly?" James asked a little worriedly. "You're a sensitive engine and I don't want to do anything wrong for you."

"Come on, James," giggled Molly. "Kiss me! You know you want to!"

"A…alright," he said nervously. "Let me know if you want me to stop. If anything is wrong, let me know…" He carefully buffered to her, then for the first time in his own life, James gave his first kiss, to Molly's cheek. Her cheek felt very warm and soft, just like Emily. James never felt happier in his life kissing Molly. He felt impossibly powerful peace and joy in his heart, even more so when he heard Molly react.

"Aww, James…you're so gentle and sweet," she cooed. "Please don't stop."

"I know, sweetie," whispered James. He kissed her other cheek, just as gently, making sure he didn't surprise her too much. Molly's boiler bubbled madly as she felt James' tender kisses. For an engine who could be rather conceited and full of himself, when it came to the engine he loved, James was a gentle soul with a heart full of care and devotion in its own way.

The two engines continued to carefully and calmly kiss to the cheeks, whispering "I love you…I love you…" for almost an hour.

At last, James and Molly stopped to rest and catch their breath. They did not perform any kisses to the lips…yet. James respected Molly for being a delicate soul and wanted to let her decide if and when she'd become more passionate like Emily.

"Sweet dreams, my Shining Sun…" yawned James before kissing her cheek once more.

"Sweet dreams, my Radiant Ruby," Molly yawned, kissing James back before they both fell asleep. Indeed, Ruby and Sun were shining together again…

Meanwhile in the yards, Thomas and Emily were kissing happily too. It felt very lovely to be kissing after two weeks of not doing so. Just like Emily said, it was certainly worth, if not more than worth the wait.

"I'm so happy James and Molly are back together, Tommy," Emily smiled as she kissed Thomas all over his cheeks.

"So am I, Em," Thomas smiled back, dotting her cheeks with kisses too. Emily giggled from the tickle his kisses gave her.

"You like that, don't you?" chuckled Thomas. "Now for the part we love best."

Emily winked and kissed his lips. Thomas kissed her right back, relishing in the gentle, passionate wave that swooned over them.

Eventually, Thomas and Emily were satisfied with all the time they spent kissing again and returned to Tidmouth Sheds. The other engines were waiting for them and wondered where James was.

"Hello, you two," said Henry. "A little late to say it now, but you've been gone from here for six nights last week."

"Long story, Henry," said Thomas. "We'll tell you some other time."

"Where's James?" asked Edward.

"Elsewhere," said Emily. "And all I will say is, he's doing very well." And she winked to Thomas.

"Yes. He's doing better than usual," he said. "It's good to be back with the rest of you."

"Yes. We did miss you a little," said Emily.

"Thank you," said the other engines before they all settled down for the night.

So the truth prevailed. Molly finally accepted James' care and devotion to her and they came back together in great joy and peace. As for Thomas and Emily, they too were happy with the recent events, but in just a few days, another event would come and go through their lives…one that could possibly spawn some unexpected events in the future. There was an exciting, but also unusual phase in the future that was to come and go for them. But that's another story.

As the stars shone through the night, somewhere faraway on the Mainland, a stationmaster was looking at a poster for the very event that would possibly cross Thomas and Emily's path…a Great Railway Show. An event in which engines from all across the world would compete in competitions of strength, appearances, racing and shunting, as well as just being seen by many excited people.

"That is going to be an exciting day…Who can we get that would surely excite the audiences?" the stationmaster wondered to himself. Suddenly an engine came whistling in. As the engine stopped, the stationmaster remained silent. The engine looked very much like Gordon. He was big and green, his class was LNER A-3…and most of all, he had two tenders!

"Excuse me…you," said the stationmaster.

"Yes sir? What is it?" asked the engine, in a deep, powerful voice.

"I was just thinking about the upcoming Great Railway Show…Would you like to join the show in perhaps racing…Flying Scotsman?" said the stationmaster.

"Oh, of course, sir," said Flying Scotsman. "That would be fun!" Then his whistle blew and he set off into the night. As he went on his way, he suddenly thought of one particular engine and got a teasing idea.

"Racing at the Great Railway Show! Ohh, just wait until my 'little' brother hears about this! Flying Scotsman coming through!" he called through the night and into the darkness.

* * *

This should not have taken nearly a year to complete, it just shouldn't have, but the fact of the matter is it's finally complete. Now it's finally onto The Great Race adaptation. At the time of this upload, pretty much all of the second half of the story is about finished, so really we just have the first half to do and everything should be all hunky dory. So yeah, look forward to *The Great Railway Show*, leave your overall thoughts on this story and I'll see you all, hopefully, soon.


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